Gezicht van een vrouw, in profiel 1887 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this drawing of a woman's face in profile. It’s such a tender, fleeting sketch. I can just imagine Israels with his sketchbook, trying to capture the essence of the woman before him. The lines are so economical, almost like he’s whispering her form onto the paper. The shading around her eye and cheek gives her a sense of depth, like she could turn and look right at you. I really get a sense of her presence. Israels was known for his quick, impressionistic style, capturing everyday life with immediacy and charm. You see this in the woman’s hair. He used these spiraling lines to give her volume and texture. It reminds me of Degas’s pastels or Manet’s quick brushstrokes—that same desire to capture the fleeting beauty of modern life. It’s like a painter’s secret language, these marks that tell a whole story.