Reclining Female Nude, Isaac Israels, c. 1905

charcoal, h 172mm × w 320mm More details

This drawing looks like it was executed in mere minutes. Indeed, Israëls was more interested in capturing the essence of the pose than in producing a detailed depiction. For these kinds of drawings Israëls almost always used charcoal or chalk, which allowed him to work swiftly. Moreover, the charcoal did not adhere everywhere on the grainy surface of the paper, whereby the drawing seems to capture the light.