Zelfportret 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel’s self-portrait is rendered with what looks like pencil on paper. What gets me about drawings is their immediacy. This one feels like the artist is trying to figure himself out, line by line. I mean, look at that eyebrow, a scribble of intent! And the eyes, one a simple circle, the other more shaded, more knowing. What was he thinking as he looked in the mirror? Did he like what he saw? It's like he’s building his face from scratch, each mark a question. There's a raw honesty here, a vulnerability that comes with laying bare the basics. It reminds me a little of Picasso’s linear portraits—that same desire to capture the essence of a person with the fewest possible strokes. Drawing is such a direct way to talk to other artists across time. It’s an ongoing conversation of line, form, and feeling. It’s not about getting it ‘right,’ but about staying curious.