Studieblad met paard onder een boom en een man spelend op een trompet onder een boom, vergezeld door twee ezels 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this study sheet with pencil, a whisper of graphite on paper. You can almost feel the give of the pencil moving across the page, as if the line is coaxed into existence. I’m thinking about Leo sitting outside, sketchbook in hand, observing horses, donkeys and musicians beneath trees. I imagine him squinting, trying to capture the shifting light and the essence of the scene before him. It's like a puzzle, trying to find the right lines to define the forms, the way the branches reach and twist, the weight of the animals. There's something so direct about a drawing like this, you know? It shows the artist thinking, making decisions, searching for the essential elements. It reminds me that art is about seeing, feeling, and trying to make sense of the world, one line at a time. Artists look and learn from each other, picking up the conversation where someone else leaves off.