Twee naakte vrouwen 1926 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this pencil drawing of two nude women, and it feels like he drew it with a lot of attention and a light touch. I can imagine him sketching and resketching the same shapes, trying to work out how the curves of the human body wrap around one another. It feels like he's trying to resolve an idea, rather than capture a likeness. The lines aren’t exactly tentative, but they build up a kind of searching energy, full of little adjustments and second guesses, as if he were unsure about which way to go next. There's a quietness and intimacy to this drawing, a sense of the artist working through something in his mind. It’s like he's having a conversation with himself on paper. The drawing leaves space for possibility, for change and becoming; a nice reminder that art is an ongoing exploration and exchange of ideas.