Figuren in badkleding 1875 - 1934

Curator: Looking at these graphite and ink drawings on notebook paper, what's your first take? Editor: There's an undeniable sense of playful energy, like a child's story board, almost slapdash in its composition but deliberate. What is this? Curator: Here we have a sketch, one that was made by Isaac Israels sometime between 1875 and 1934, called "Figuren in badkleding" or "Figures in Bathing Suits" here at the Rijksmuseum. Israels seemed keen on sketching people in motion, relaxing or doing sports. I would bet it shows how the changing landscape of leisure informed artistic expression at the time. Editor: Bathing suits… interesting. Considering how much swimwear has changed over the years, this feels less like documenting recreation, and more a comment on the human body itself. Look at how the quick, sure lines emphasize musculature and gesture—a timeless pursuit of the human form. The symbolism could very well refer to vulnerability and exposure. What do you make of it? Curator: Definitely, and I agree. There is a tension here. Leisure activities, of course, always had an aspect of gendered and class expectations. Swimwear has definitely symbolized changing attitudes to the body. But what resonates to me is the suggestion of voyeurism that lingers when viewing such scenes. One must then be prompted to analyze that unease when contextualized against the fact that this notebook might well be from his own personal sketchbook! Editor: Absolutely, what we bring to an image certainly shifts over time, with or without specific symbolic intent on the part of the artist! Curator: True. I think ultimately these loose sketches invite the viewer to meditate not only on recreation as seen in public but to think more privately, on our bodies, and our position in society. Editor: It all seems a bit fugitive, no? More feelings than details, I suppose that's the strength of sketchwork.