Reclining Female Nude 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing with pencil on paper. I think it is so interesting to see the history of mark-making right here on this page. Israels uses line to try to find his way around the form of the nude. What was it like to be him, sitting in front of the model, trying to capture what he was seeing? He seems unsure, trying out different lines and marks, looking for the right ones. There are all these lines, zigging and zagging, and the figure kind of emerges from them. I love that the artist lets us see his process. It reminds me a little of Degas, who was always working and reworking his images, drawing over and over. It's like artists are in conversation with each other across time, like he's saying, "Hey Degas, look at what I'm trying to do here." We’re all just trying to figure it out as we go along, you know?