Man met accordeon 1920 - 1941

Leo Gestel made "Man met accordeon" with a brush and India ink, and to me, it really showcases the artmaking process. You can see every stroke, every decision, laid bare on the paper. The texture here isn't about impasto or layering, but about the varying densities of the ink, from watery washes to bold, opaque lines. Look at the way Gestel defines the form of the man's body with these thick, looping strokes. There’s a kind of brutal honesty in the way the ink sits on the surface, revealing the speed and confidence of the artist's hand. The lines are so bold and raw. Gestel's willingness to leave the process visible reminds me of some of the later abstract expressionists, like Franz Kline. But while Kline was exploring pure abstraction, Gestel is still rooted in representation, capturing a moment, a feeling. It's like he's saying, "Here's the world, but here's also how I see it, how I feel it, how I translate it through my own messy, human hand."