Dienstmeid, in profiel c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a maid in profile, with what looks like charcoal or graphite. It’s all about the dance of the line here, isn't it? That swooping mark that defines the pillow, the nervous energy that builds up to describe the face. I can imagine him working quickly, trying to capture the essence of this figure, the way she rests in the quiet of the room. The drawing has a really intimate quality – like a secret moment witnessed and then transferred onto paper. It’s the kind of image that lingers, a testament to how much can be conveyed with so little. It reminds me of the drawings of Degas or Manet, who were equally interested in the everyday lives of women. And it makes me think about my own work, that search to find the right line, the right gesture, that can say everything.