Schetsboek LI met 11 bladen 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this sketchbook with eleven pages, with graphite on paper. The quick, light marks reflect the artist's attention to capturing the immediate impression of a figure. The paper of the sketchbook acts as a receptive surface, readily accepting and displaying the marks of the graphite. Graphite, a relatively soft and yielding material, allows for a range of tonal variations and textures, from light, sketchy outlines to more dense and shaded areas, which we can see here. The qualities of the material are emphasized in this work. Considered a fundamental tool for artists, sketchbooks facilitate the exploration of ideas, experimentation with compositions, and the recording of observations. Israels, whose wider artistic practice included painting portraits and genre scenes, used the sketchbook to hone his skills in drawing the human form. This focus on the basics demonstrates the value in process, and the knowledge that comes through making. In this way, sketchbooks are a reminder that the value of art comes through the work put into it.