Hoofd van een man of vrouw

This is a pencil drawing of a head, made by Isaac Israels at an unknown date. The artist has used a simple graphite pencil and paper, commonplace and inexpensive materials that would have been readily available to him. Notice how Israels's technique captures the fleeting nature of a sketch, with swift strokes defining the figure's contours. The marks have a graphic, raw quality. The artist seems less concerned with perfect representation, and more interested in quickly capturing the essence of the person before him, and the character of his subject. The medium itself speaks to the accessibility of drawing as an art form. Pencil and paper democratized image-making, enabling artists to explore ideas freely. Israels, born in a time of rapid industrialization and urbanization, captures a sense of modernity through his choice of materials and his rapid, unadorned style. This challenges traditional notions of high art, by highlighting the beauty and skill inherent in everyday materials and techniques.