Drie vrouwen in kostuums, mogelijk variétédanseressen 1875 - 1934

Curator: This sketch, "Three Women in Costume, Possibly Variety Dancers," comes to us from Isaac Israels. We believe it was likely composed between 1875 and 1934. It’s a pencil drawing, currently residing here at the Rijksmuseum. What catches your eye initially? Editor: Immediately, it’s the vulnerability of these figures, caught mid-pose perhaps, in these incredibly spare, suggestive lines. The tilted heads give me a sense of intimacy and maybe, dare I say, slight exhaustion? It’s charmingly unvarnished. Curator: Indeed. Considering the period, and that Israels was capturing probable performers, that 'unvarnished' feel is interesting. Pencil as the medium really emphasizes process, a sketch being less about finished product and more about working through an idea. It prompts thoughts on the production of entertainment, and what the lives of performers would entail in the context of their labor. Editor: Yes! It also has a wonderfully modern feel. Those swiftly-rendered lines, capturing a fleeting moment in the theater… It reminds me that behind the spectacle is the reality of bodies at work. Almost as if the tools of the portrait--the pencil in this instance--reveals something deeper. Curator: The choice of pencil definitely strips away artifice. There's no grand oil paint to suggest status or idealized beauty; just the immediacy of line on paper. Considering Israels likely sketched numerous dancers, there must have been a flow and availability of the tools which were themselves of relatively little inherent value compared to other painting practices. Editor: Absolutely, and that's perhaps why it breathes such fresh life and captures an authenticity of character and environment so poignantly. A painter might bring grandeur to it; Israels instead shows us real people. Curator: I find it curious how a simple medium redirects focus toward what is actually portrayed: labor, not leisured activity or the art world. It brings up a reflection of consumer culture during this period and challenges the supposed chasm between “high art” and what many consider “craft.” Editor: Precisely. It is in the understated presentation of this moment that reveals not only a world, but ourselves and how we view performance. Makes one think of who holds the pencil now…and what is *their* vantage point. Curator: Yes. In that way, "Three Women in Costume, Possibly Variety Dancers" pushes beyond portraiture and encourages considerations around making as much as being. Editor: Beautifully put!