Abklatsch van de krijttekening op pagina 18 c. 1886 - 1903

Isaac Israels made this transfer of a chalk drawing, now at the Rijksmuseum, using a technique called Abklatsch, a printing process that captures a mirror image of the original. It's a way of lifting the chalk directly from the page, transferring its powdery residue onto another surface. In this work, the process itself becomes the subject. The smudged, ethereal quality of the print reveals the chalk's inherent fragility. It's not about the precision of line, but the texture and tone achieved through direct contact and transfer. The Abklatsch method sidesteps traditional hierarchies between drawing and printmaking. It values the directness of the artist's hand, yet introduces an element of mechanical reproduction. This challenges the idea of the unique, original artwork and invites us to appreciate the subtle beauty of a fleeting impression, turning a simple act of reproduction into a work of art.