Portret van Joseph Israëls 1871 - 1906

Editor: This is a portrait drawing, rendered in pencil. Pieter de Josselin de Jong sketched fellow artist Joseph Israëls sometime between 1871 and 1906. I am really struck by how the artist captured the act of creation. What does this artwork evoke in you? Curator: Oh, I feel a real kinship with this drawing! There's something so intimate about seeing an artist, in this case Joseph Israëls, portrayed mid-creation, lost in thought with his palette in hand. It’s like a glimpse behind the curtain, into the artist’s inner world. The hatching and cross-hatching create depth but also an ephemeral, fleeting quality, as if we're observing a thought taking form. Do you see the painting leaning on the easel? I love how it reminds us of art’s perpetual potential, an invitation. What do you think about that? Editor: I see what you mean; the quick, suggestive lines really convey a sense of movement. So it's about capturing a moment. The sketch offers that sensation. I was almost expecting this artwork to be a painting but was nicely surprised that the work that portrays a painter is itself a drawing. Curator: Exactly! It’s the magic trick of art. This sketch manages to evoke so much with such simple means. I find myself wondering what Israëls was about to paint. Was it one of his familiar, deeply felt scenes of Dutch coastal life? Perhaps de Jong sought to capture not just the artist's likeness, but his very essence, that spirit of creation that burned within him. Editor: So, in looking at this portrait of Joseph Israëls, the act of art-making and reflecting becomes almost recursive. Curator: Yes, I think you've hit upon something vital there! And I'll ponder over your remark, whilst heading to the coffee corner to seek some essence of my own.