Twee gieren 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels drew these two vultures with pencil on paper, although we don't know exactly when. There’s a real tenderness in the marks he’s making, a kind of caress of the paper that suggests he’s really looking, really feeling the form of these birds. Look how the pencil seems to dance across the page, barely there in some places, then digging in to define the edge of a wing. It’s a drawing about seeing, about touch, about finding a form through a process. You can see the ghostly traces of earlier ideas underneath, like the artist is feeling his way towards the final image, willing to embrace the imperfections and pentimenti. It reminds me of the work of Philip Guston, in that both artists embrace a kind of awkwardness, a willingness to let the process lead them, instead of striving for some kind of perfect representation. Art is a conversation, a constant back-and-forth between artists across time, and these vultures feel like they’re part of that ongoing dialogue.