Vignet voor De Gemeenschap (ontwerp) c. 1935

This is Leo Gestel's "Vignet voor De Gemeenschap (ontwerp)," made with pen and ink on paper around 1914. It's a bullfight, caught in a flurry of black lines. I’m thinking about Gestel, with his pen, wrestling with this scene, trying to capture the tension. The bull is rendered in a wild scribble, almost vibrating with energy, while the matador is more controlled, but still dynamic. It feels urgent, like he’s trying to pin down a fleeting moment. Look at the way Gestel uses hatching to create volume and movement. Those short, rapid strokes build up the bull’s form, but also give it a sense of restless power. And the matador's cape – it’s like a dance of marks, swirling and folding. I feel Gestel's hand in every stroke, his breath on the page. It’s like he’s saying, "Here, look at this drama, this dance of life and death." And we, as viewers, get to step into that arena with him. Painting is like that – a conversation across time, where we can feel the artist's pulse and add our own to the rhythm.