Vrouwenhoofd en een man, op de rug gezien 1875 - 1934

This drawing by Isaac Israels is at the Rijksmuseum, and it’s a fleeting sketch, really, made with graphite on paper. Look at the marks—see how light and quick they are? You can almost feel Israels' hand moving across the page, capturing a glimpse of a woman's face and the back of a man's head. I imagine him, sitting somewhere, maybe in a cafe, quickly trying to capture a moment. What was she thinking, this woman? Israels uses simple lines to create the barest impression of form, shadow, and depth. It's not about perfection, but immediacy. Think of other artists like Degas, capturing dancers in motion, or Daumier, sketching social scenes with biting wit. There’s a real connection through time in their shared interest in capturing everyday life. This drawing feels like a whisper, an invitation to look closer and consider the beauty in simple, unadorned observation.