Groep soldaten met geweren, mogelijk huzaren 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of soldiers with charcoal, maybe as a study for a painting. I can imagine Israels quickly trying to capture the energy of the group, the charcoal stick moving rapidly across the page. Look at the confidence of the marks, almost scribbles, yet they somehow convey form and movement! I've made so many drawings that looked like nervous messes until eventually a figure emerges. I wonder if Israels felt like he was corralling this group with his charcoal? Did he have to fight to capture the essence of the scene? The physicality of the medium really shines through. It makes me think of other artists who captured modern life with such immediacy, like Manet or Degas, except instead of the boulevards of Paris, we see the military life in the Netherlands. Each artist is always in conversation with each other, and with us, through time. In painting we embrace ambiguity, welcoming multiple interpretations and meanings.