Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 5 recto 1875 - 1934

Curator: Ah, here we have “Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 5 recto,” or a carbon copy of a chalk drawing from page 5, right-side. Isaac Israels created this sketch, in graphite on paper, sometime between 1875 and 1934. It's currently held in the Rijksmuseum's collection. What’s your initial take on it? Editor: Honestly, it looks like a ghost convention at the beach. Sort of insubstantial, faded figures floating across a pale shore. Like half-remembered dreams. Curator: That's a very evocative reading! I find it interesting to think about "carbon copy" here as a metaphor. Israels wasn't necessarily striving for a polished final product, but perhaps capturing the ephemeral nature of a scene or the initial spark of an idea. The copy itself takes on a new form. Editor: Right! It’s a sketch of a sketch. The image gets further removed, becomes fainter and stranger. I feel like I’m looking at someone’s passing thought, not their carefully planned idea. And that row of hatched lines – that's water, right? Feels kind of anxious and churning to me. Curator: It could be the water. And those impressionistic dashes may hold another clue – this work contains a fleeting moment, full of movement. The people seem engaged in some activity, with its overall suggestion of energy, that speaks volumes about the rapid pace of modern life. I also think, how a carbon copy makes one think about societal standardisations as well. Editor: Standardizations, hm. True, I suppose. It just feels so raw, so unresolved to me! Which is beautiful in its own way. Makes me wonder what the original chalk drawing looked like, what details were lost or gained in the translation, or abklatsch as they say! Curator: It invites us to ponder the creative process itself and to what extent copies of art hold equal symbolic power. Thanks for sharing those perspectives; I find my initial view has definitely expanded! Editor: Mine too! From ghostly beach to symbolic exploration...who knew a carbon copy could hold so much.