Staande man met hoed 1875 - 1934

Curator: This work, "Standing Man with Hat", comes to us from Isaac Israels. It's believed to have been created sometime between 1875 and 1934, and it resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: There’s something so instantly relatable about this simple sketch. It's like catching someone in a fleeting moment, you know? I almost feel a sense of quiet humor observing this relaxed, almost comical figure in a hat. Curator: What’s striking to me is the method itself: just pencil on paper. Look closely and you can almost see the labor, the artist's hand moving swiftly. It demystifies the whole art-making process, revealing the raw materials. We're really getting close to the foundation of something. Editor: Exactly! It has that raw immediacy—as if the idea just sprung onto the page, untethered and fresh. But tell me more, what might have been the context surrounding its production? Curator: Considering the era, Israels was operating within a rapidly industrializing world. Drawing, especially in sketchbooks, became an accessible and portable means of observation and documentation. This suggests Israels was actively engaging with, and trying to capture, his surroundings. It really reflects the material conditions available to artists at the time, where the means of reproduction and dissemination were evolving. Editor: It feels deeply personal, too, like a stolen glance from his own life, made universal through its artlessness. No pomp, no circumstance, just the everyday beauty of a human form caught unawares. Curator: Precisely. The lack of pretension speaks to a different relationship with art itself, it emphasizes a practical engagement with materials. I would even venture that it challenges our preconceived notions of "high art." Editor: Absolutely. Well, it makes you think about art, not just see it, which is kind of perfect. Curator: A fine way to look at the drawing itself; thank you. Editor: Thanks to you too. I am going away with a new vision for these works.