Zittend en staand meisje 1834 - 1911

Jozef Israëls made this drawing of a girl sitting and standing, using graphite on paper. This is a rapid study, a working drawing. Graphite is a humble material; think of the grind of pencils, the soft greyscale it produces. The artist used delicate lines to capture a sense of light and shadow on the girl's face and clothing, with a cross-hatched background adding depth to the composition. You can see him testing out the same motif twice on one sheet, a way of figuring out the image through labor. Israëls was interested in capturing the lives of ordinary people, particularly those of the working class. The girl is dressed simply, with a plain dress and clogs, suggesting her humble background. Israëls elevated those backgrounds, depicting them with dignity, even beauty. It makes you wonder about the economic and social conditions that defined the lives of the people he portrayed. By focusing on the lives of ordinary people, Israëls challenged the traditional boundaries of fine art, reminding us that art can be found in the everyday.