Ontwerp deel tapijt c. 1938

Editor: Here we have Leo Gestel's "Ontwerp deel tapijt," a watercolor drawing from around 1938, currently residing at the Rijksmuseum. It has a really curious design. It’s just a partial border with geometric forms, almost like it was intended as decoration for a specific purpose, maybe a tile panel. How do you interpret this work? Curator: What captures my attention immediately is the way Gestel uses this border motif as a narrative loop, echoing cyclical themes common in art deco of that time. It makes me wonder, what kind of emotional space does the artist create using the figures on one end and the landscape on the other? Is it possible this was made during war times in the Netherlands, given the somber palette and figures who almost seem frozen in anticipation? Editor: Yes, the date makes me think about the brewing tensions in Europe back then. Those figures do look kind of stuck, or maybe in mourning. There’s also the motif of angels— almost— that brings in religious or spiritual thoughts. Curator: And the geometric forms juxtaposed with natural imagery create a fascinating dialogue, right? They invite us to consider not only surface beauty but also explore the deeper cultural symbols and stories. It’s the interplay between the ordered and organic, the spiritual and material worlds, isn't it? Editor: I hadn’t thought of it as an ordered vs. organic thing, but I see it now. It’s not just decorative, it’s like Gestel packed so much meaning into these motifs. Curator: Precisely! We must keep in mind it is an unfinished design and this invites all kinds of projection for the viewer and speculations as to where this panel or decorative piece might have been intended. I'm also very keen on how an artist like Gestel used older visual languages from tapestry design that were used to show status but refines them in this intimate water color design to reveal something new. Editor: Wow, that perspective really sheds a different light on the piece! Thanks for helping me unpack it. Curator: My pleasure! It’s in examining these interwoven narratives that art truly reveals its power.