Zittende vrouw 1875 - 1934

Editor: This is "Zittende vrouw," or "Seated Woman," a pencil drawing by Isaac Israels, likely created between 1875 and 1934. It has a really informal, almost sketched feel to it. What can you tell me about this drawing? Curator: Well, let’s start with the material itself: pencil on paper. It’s a readily available, inexpensive medium, which positions this work as a study, perhaps preparatory to a more formal piece, or maybe an end in itself. Note how Israels hasn't laboured to refine the image. Do you notice where he applies varied pressures and angles to give the figure volume? Editor: Yes, I see that now – especially in the shading of the coat and the face. It looks so quick, and gestural but still captures a sense of weight. Curator: Precisely. This rapid mark-making highlights the labor of artistic production itself. This immediacy also disrupts traditional hierarchies in art. A finished oil painting on canvas, for instance, signifies a different level of value and labor than this drawing. This sketch also gives us a glimpse into the artistic process that might be hidden within a formal painting. Editor: That's a great point about process! I hadn’t thought about it in terms of the 'artistic labour' being so visible in the final product, not just a hidden step to another work. Curator: And consider the social context. Who was this woman? What was her relationship to the artist? The fleeting nature of the sketch perhaps implies a casual encounter, a moment stolen amidst the everyday. The drawing, itself becomes a record of labour, leisure and consumption of the cultural elite. Editor: I see how a materialist approach opens up a new way to see not just what the artwork is "of" but also how and why it came to be. Thanks! Curator: It is these often-unseen facets that give a deeper understanding, I agree. Thanks to this glimpse of the artmaking practice.