Vrouwenhoofd 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing, Vrouwenhoofd, with pencil on paper. Israels is really thinking through the drawing in front of us, leaving the marks of the process visible in the hazy shading which makes up the background to the woman's head. The texture of the paper really stands out, the pencil sticking in the tooth of the page to leave an almost pixilated effect. Look at the woman's face: the features are suggested by these tiny, delicate lines, giving it a sense of both presence and absence. The strokes are so light, it's like the drawing is breathing. Israels was part of a generation of artists who were unafraid to leave the traces of their working visible, which makes me think of Manet, who was also interested in this sense of immediacy and openness in painting. Art isn't about hiding the evidence, it's about embracing the conversation.