Vrouwenhoofd, in profiel 1875 - 1934

Isaac Israels drew this head of a woman in profile, in what looks like graphite, on paper. Look at the scrawly lines that build up the hair, they feel almost frantic, but also delicate. I can imagine Israels quickly capturing the essence of his model; he’s really thinking about her head as a mass in space. What was she thinking as she sat for him? Was she even sitting or was this drawn on the fly? I love that you can see the movement of the hand and that it feels like a kind of intimate seeing. It reminds me of drawings by other artists like Degas and Whistler, that share an interest in depicting modern life. It feels like Israels is participating in a longer conversation about the fleeting moments of everyday existence. These artists keep me company, they expand my understanding of mark-making, of how we see and understand the world.