Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 4 recto 1875 - 1934

Editor: This is “Abklatsch van de krijttekening op blad 4 recto” by Isaac Israels, dating from between 1875 and 1934. It's a drawing in graphite on paper. I am struck by how ephemeral it feels, almost like a ghost image. How do you interpret this work, given the visible erasure and faintness? Curator: The ethereal quality you note is interesting, isn't it? Considering Israels's interest in capturing fleeting moments of modern life, I wonder if this "blot" or "copy" – the term 'abklatsch' hinting at a transfer process – speaks to the way memories or impressions themselves are often partial and obscured. Perhaps we should see it in dialogue with ideas about visibility and invisibility within marginalized communities during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The ghostly traces may reference the unacknowledged labor or presence of certain figures. Editor: That’s a very different reading than what I expected! So, you see the medium itself, the ephemeral nature of the graphite transfer, as a commentary on societal erasure? Curator: Precisely. It makes us question what histories are being recorded and whose stories are being deemed worthy of preservation. Also, the 'recto' of the page hints to its function: what does it mean for something to be at the very front or back? How is importance attributed by placement or context? Perhaps the very notion of 'copying' relates to the appropriation of non-Western aesthetics at that time. What histories are left behind in its production? What do we see? What do we leave behind? Editor: That reframes the whole piece. I was so focused on the artistic technique, but now I see the potential for a much deeper, socially conscious interpretation. Thanks! Curator: Indeed. Engaging with the materiality of the piece while exploring the socio-political context allows for a far more nuanced engagement. We begin to view the "sketch" as less a casual thing and more as a loaded object.