Boot in een gracht, mogelijk in Amsterdam 1875 - 1934

Here's a drawing of a boat in a canal, possibly in Amsterdam, made with charcoal by Isaac Israels. The texture is really what gets me here; you can see how the charcoal has been layered and smudged, almost like he’s trying to capture the way light and shadow play on the water's surface. It's all about the process, you know? Making marks, rubbing them out, making more marks. Look at the buildings reflected in the canal - see how they dissolve into these vertical streaks? It's like the whole scene is fluid, in motion. That dark mass above the boat seems to almost weigh down the rest of the composition. There’s something about these quick sketches that feels so immediate and alive. It reminds me a bit of Manet's sketches – that same sense of capturing a fleeting moment, an impression, rather than trying to nail down every detail.