Figuur slaat ander figuur neer 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing, Figuur slaat ander figuur neer, with a graphite pencil on paper. It's all about the energy of the marks, the loops and scribbles, a kind of furious shorthand. The lines feel tentative, searching, like the artist is thinking through the image right in front of us. Look at how the lines cluster and repeat, especially in the upper figure; it almost vibrates with movement. You can practically feel the force of the action in the way the lines are etched and layered. The pressure of the pencil on the page seems uneven, a mix of heavy and light strokes, which really brings it to life. This drawing reminds me a bit of some of Max Beckmann’s sketches. Both artists capture raw, unvarnished moments with a kind of brutal honesty. It's a reminder that art doesn't always need to be polished to be powerful. Sometimes, it's the rough edges that make it real.