Wandelaars, spelende kinderen en rijtuigen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch of people, children playing, and carriages with graphite on paper. I love to imagine what it might have felt like for Israels to make this on-the-spot sketch. Was he capturing a fleeting moment of everyday life? You know, the kind that vanishes as quickly as it appears. The figures are defined with a few lines, so economical, so fast. It’s amazing how much information he conveys with so little. He’s not trying to create a perfect representation of reality. Instead, he's capturing the feeling, the atmosphere, and the energy of a place. This reminds me of the quick gestural marks that Toulouse-Lautrec used when painting dancers. Artists are often in conversation with each other this way. Wandelaars, spelende kinderen en rijtuigen is about process, it’s about seeing and feeling, not about perfect rendering, and it captures the sheer joy of drawing.