Vignet voor De Gemeenschap (ontwerp) c. 1935

This vignette for De Gemeenschap was designed by Leo Gestel, in 1914. It was made with pen in ink. Gestel is playing with a limited palette of stark black ink against the paper. See how he captures the furious energy of the bullfight with these quick, scratchy marks? It's like he’s wrestling with the image, figuring it out as he goes. The texture is all in the lines – dense, chaotic hatching that gives the bull and matador a sense of weight and movement. Look at the bull’s flank, that mass of frantic marks – it’s almost vibrating with pent-up aggression. Gestel’s drawing has a real primal energy. It reminds me a little of Goya's bullfighting scenes, but with a raw, modern edge. In the end, art is just this ongoing conversation, right? No answers, just questions, and more questions.