Vrouwenhoofd met hoed 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a woman's head with a hat using crayon on paper. I can almost feel the artist's hand moving quickly, trying to capture something fleeting. The marks are so raw and immediate, like he's wrestling with the image, trying to pin it down. I wonder what Israels was thinking as he made this? Was he trying to get at something beyond just the surface appearance? The way he's rendered the hat with these bold, almost aggressive strokes, it's like he's trying to dig into the essence of the thing. It reminds me a bit of some of the sketches I do when I'm trying to work something out in my own paintings, like the searching lines made in charcoal which become the underpainting in the final piece. It's all about that process of discovery, letting the medium lead you to unexpected places.