Kop en profil c. 1935 - 1940

Leo Gestel created this head in profile with graphite on paper. It is not only the artist’s hand we see at work here, but also the more anonymous labor of paper production itself. Consider the support that Gestel chose: it’s a relatively inexpensive material, as we can see from the pre-printed text showing through the drawing. The bare minimum. Graphite, too, is a humble material, yet in the hand of a skilled draftsman it can render a likeness with immediacy and nuance. The profile comes to life with just a few strokes. The artist's choice of such modest materials, combined with his technical virtuosity, brings us face to face with both the subject, and the means used to portray them. It reminds us that any work of art is always the product of many hands, not only the artist's.