Staande en bukkende mannen in jacquet 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of men in jackets with graphite on paper, and the marks are so fast, so fleeting, you can almost hear the scratch of the pencil. The artist isn't fussing about detail but is more interested in capturing a sense of movement and gesture, like these guys are about to run off the page. I imagine Israels was out and about, maybe at the races, quickly sketching people as they went by, trying to distill the essence of their posture and presence with a few deft strokes. It’s like he’s saying, “Okay, what’s the bare minimum I need to show to convey this idea of a body in motion?” The whole thing reminds me of Daumier’s drawings, or maybe some of Degas' quick studies of dancers – this idea of catching a glimpse of something and then trying to capture it before it disappears. Artists are always looking at each other, riffing off each other's ideas, and having this silent conversation across time. It's why art never really gets old, you know?