Vrouwenhoofd met sigaret 1887 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a woman's head with a cigarette with pencil, charcoal, and watercolor on paper. The drawing is built up with simple, gestural marks in charcoal and pencil. The woman’s face seems to emerge out of the darkness of her hair. The marks appear provisional, as if trying to capture a fleeting moment. I wonder, what was Israels trying to express? Was he trying to capture her likeness, or was he more interested in the play of light and shadow on her face? I love the way that Israels uses line to suggest the form of the woman’s head, and how the thin washes of watercolor add a sense of depth and atmosphere to the drawing. I think it might be interesting to compare this drawing to the work of other artists who were working at the time. Degas, for example, was also interested in capturing fleeting moments in his art. Perhaps Israels was inspired by Degas’s work? All artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas.