Zwevende vrouw met trompet 1891 - 1941

Curator: I'm immediately drawn to the sheer dynamism of this piece. It's all sweeping lines and stark contrast. Editor: Today we are looking at "Zwevende vrouw met trompet," or "Floating Woman with Trumpet," a pen and ink drawing on paper attributed to Leo Gestel, and estimated to have been created sometime between 1891 and 1941. It resides here, at the Rijksmuseum. Curator: It certainly feels like a spontaneous sketch. A burst of creative energy captured in ink. There's almost a dreamlike quality, a woman floating, not quite realistically rendered. The lack of detail in the figure really emphasizes that. Editor: The instrument, however, that trumpet or perhaps horn she carries, is quite distinct, even prominent. Is she an angel, heralding something? Is it an announcement, a call to action, maybe? Perhaps Gestel used her as a figure to represent something more… a new era, maybe? Curator: Or could the horn perhaps stand in for artistic expression itself? We know that Expressionism prized subjective experience. To float above the world playing an instrument does feel like a certain kind of liberation. There is also a strong tradition for how powerful the trumpet’s sound can be - what sociopolitical moments might be at play here? Editor: Expressionism definitely allows for a deeply personal symbolic language. The boldness of the line work combined with the floating figure definitely does lead me to believe this could be an angel, bringing some very grave news, considering its heavy blacks. Curator: And thinking about it more broadly, the act of drawing itself, the act of sketching on paper like this, could be seen as a kind of floating, detached observation. Perhaps Gestel, working in that tradition, invites the viewer to participate in this very specific form of expression, inviting us into his own subjectivity through those quick sketches. Editor: I hadn't considered it that way, very interesting! This quick peek makes me realize the incredible density possible even within very basic black and white artwork. Curator: Absolutely, the immediacy of a sketch, when thoughtfully examined, opens worlds of interpretation.