Koppen van een kind c. 1885 - 1911

Jozef Israëls made this sketch called ‘Koppen van een kind’ with a pencil on paper. The drawing presents a study of children's heads, rendered with delicate, almost ephemeral lines against the stark backdrop of the paper. The formal structure relies on the interplay between the positive space occupied by the heads and the negative space surrounding them, creating a sense of lightness. The lines are not definitive boundaries, but rather suggestive contours, allowing the forms to emerge tentatively from the surface. This technique is more than just representational; it embodies a philosophical approach to art, challenging the notion of fixed, objective reality. The sketch invites us to consider the artwork as a field of possibilities, where the act of seeing is as important as what is seen. In its unfinished quality, the artwork proposes that meaning is not inherent but emerges through the interaction between the artwork and the observer, engaging with ideas related to perception and interpretation.