Twee dansende vrouwen c. 1886 - 1934

Isaac Israels made this charcoal sketch of two dancing women sometime in his career. The quick, loose lines give you this sense of movement and energy, like he was trying to capture a fleeting moment. You know? Like he’s in the crowd, quickly sketching in his notebook. I'm thinking about how he's not just drawing what he sees but trying to get at something deeper – the feeling of the dance, the connection between these women. The way the charcoal smudges and blends adds to that sense of atmosphere. Israels really gets to the nitty gritty; he has a real sense for the underbelly of things. It makes me wonder about his process, how he decided what to include and what to leave out, and how this piece relates to his other work. He reminds me of Degas who was also obsessed with dancers. Artists, you know, we're always in conversation with each other, riffing on the same themes and ideas across time.