Paard-en-wagen 1875 - 1934

This sketch of a horse and carriage was made by Isaac Israels. Look at the pressure and speed of the pencil as it meets the paper: you can almost hear the scratching sound of graphite on paper. It seems like the artist was trying to capture the feeling of movement, of fleeting energy. Look at the columns above the carriage, and the quick diagonal marks beneath it. You can almost feel the carriage rumble by. As a painter, I can relate. You have to get it down fast. So much of art making is trying to capture a feeling, a glimpse of something. I wonder if Israels made many sketches like this? It looks like a page torn straight from a sketchbook, an intimate moment of artist searching for form.