Steigerend paard 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing of a rearing horse with brush and India ink on paper. The approach to mark making is bold, immediate. Gestel seems less interested in representing a horse than in exploring the act of drawing itself. The ink is laid down in confident strokes, thick and opaque, defining the contours of the horse. You can see a real sense of speed and energy in the application. The negative space around the horse is as important as the figure itself. It’s like the horse is emerging from a cloud of ink. Look at the way the lines thicken and thin, how the brush seems to dance across the page. The smudges and splatters around the edges of the figure add to the sense of immediacy. Gestel's "Steigerend paard" reminds me of Franz Marc's expressionist animal paintings, both in its subject and it's exploration of form. It's a reminder that art is less about capturing reality and more about engaging in a visual conversation.