Vrouw met hoed op een terras 1875 - 1934

This sketch, *Vrouw met hoed op een terras*, was made by Isaac Israels with graphite on paper. There’s something immediate and intimate about looking at a sketch like this – you're catching the artist in a moment of thought. Israels is feeling his way through the scene, hatching lines like he's knitting the image together. Look at the contrast between the dense scribbles that form the figure on the right and the more open, airy lines on the left. It's like he's mapping out the weight and volume of the woman with the hat against the lightness of the terrace. The quick, searching quality of the marks makes me think of Degas, who was also interested in capturing fleeting moments and the everyday lives of women. This piece feels less about a finished product and more about the process of seeing and recording, which is something I really value in art. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, a way of thinking and feeling through the world.