Figuurstudie c. 1915s - 1925s

This is Isaac Israels, Figuurstudie, at the Rijksmuseum. It looks like it was made with graphite or a similar material. I know exactly what that's like, furiously sketching on whatever surface you can get your hands on. The surface is almost completely bare, with the ghost of a few lines and smudges. It is kind of beautiful. I can imagine Israels, in a cafe or on the street, quickly capturing the essence of a figure with just a few lines. I find the economy of it very soothing. These rapid notations remind me of Cy Twombly or even some of Guston’s late works. How a quick gesture is as complete as something belabored over a long period of time. It goes to show that artists are always building on the ideas of those who came before, inspiring each other across time. This is something that is ongoing in the art world, just like how everything shifts and emerges through trial, error, and intuition.