Vrouw op een ezel c. 1890 - 1920

Isaac Israels made this pencil drawing, Vrouw op een ezel, probably at the end of the 19th century. Look at this image. There’s something so intimate about seeing an artist's sketch—it feels like we’re looking over their shoulder as they work. What was Israels thinking as he moved the pencil across the paper? Probably lots of things—how to capture the weight of the figure, how to suggest movement with just a few lines. I love how the donkey almost seems to dissolve into the ground, like a dream. The sketch feels both solid and ephemeral, present and absent, all at once. It reminds me a little of Degas’ sketches, or even some of Picasso’s early studies, but Israels has his own distinct voice. In a painting like this, it is clear to me that artists are constantly in dialogue with one another, across time and space. Each one builds upon the ideas and techniques of those who came before, forging their own path in the process.