Hoofd, mogelijk Japans c. 1925s

Isaac Israels made this head, possibly of a Japanese person, with pencil on paper. It's a fleeting thing, a quick impression; you can see the artist figuring it out as he goes. The lines are so delicate, like whispers on the page. Look closely at how the face emerges from the blankness, the lines searching, not quite sure where they're going. It's like Israels is thinking out loud with his pencil, letting the drawing lead him. I love the slight awkwardness, the way the features are just a bit off. There’s a long line, see it, that stretches above the head, like a thought bubble? Or maybe the line of sight. It reminds me of some of Matisse’s drawings, that same sense of capturing a feeling with the fewest possible marks. This drawing feels like a conversation, a question rather than a statement, and that's what keeps me coming back to it.