Ruiter, mogelijk op de boulevard van Scheveningen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketch of a rider, possibly on the boulevard of Scheveningen, with graphite on paper. I love how the figure comes into being through a tangle of quick, searching lines. Imagine Israels standing there, sketchbook in hand, trying to capture the essence of movement, the fleeting presence of a rider against the seaside. Maybe he was thinking about how to convey speed and grace with just a few strokes. I can almost see him squinting, trying to distill the scene to its barest elements. I’m drawn to the openness of the composition, how the lines suggest rather than define. I's a conversation between seeing and feeling, between the observed world and the artist's inner vision.