Drie zittende figuren c. 1915s - 1925s

Curator: Isaac Israels' drawing, dating from around 1915 to 1925, shows three seated figures. What strikes you first about this pen and pencil sketch? Editor: There’s an immediacy to it. It feels so intimate, like a quick glance into someone's private thoughts. It almost feels intrusive, but in a deliciously voyeuristic way. Curator: I think you nailed it; the sketchbook quality really invites that sense of intimacy. We’re looking at something so immediate, so raw, likely conceived as an exercise for more detailed studies later. Notice the light pencil work, the casual rendering. Editor: Absolutely. And how economical he is with the lines! Each one does so much work. I mean, look at how he suggests volume and shadow with just a few strokes of the pencil. Did he often explore figuration, studies of people in his work? Curator: Israels was deeply involved in painting and sketching figures throughout his career. He came from an artistic family and was determined to show daily life. These weren't always posed formal studies. He would try to seize moments on the street. Editor: So, was sketching an integral part of his larger practice? I’m fascinated by how preparatory drawings can tell you so much about an artist’s process – the labor of finding the final form. You also can see their mistakes in this sketch! Curator: Undeniably. For Israels, the pen and pencil seems essential in discovering and defining his vision. This piece feels especially important, perhaps due to its location in his personal sketchbook, so we are literally experiencing idea generation. Editor: Thinking about materiality, there is just the starkness of graphite on paper here. So economical and fundamental. Do we know if the sitters were aware of being captured or part of this initial sketching experiment? Curator: Well, based on the natural postures, my intuition says no. It adds another layer to that sense of being invited to something spontaneous and intensely personal. Editor: Exactly. Well, seeing the origins of an artistic vision take shape through such humble materials as pen and pencil certainly gives you a different view of his completed, elaborate paintings! Curator: Absolutely, it really makes me see him and his full body of work through new, exciting, and informed eyes.