Twee paarden en een koe 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing of two horses and a cow with graphite on paper. Look at the tentative but expressive lines that bring these animals to life! You can see the history of the hand in the work, the traces of searching. I'm immediately drawn to the rearing horse – it’s such a powerful, dynamic pose. I can imagine Gestel, sketchbook in hand, trying to capture the animal's energy, how he might have worked and reworked the lines to get it just right, again and again. But there's also something kind of funny about it. It reminds me of some of Franz Marc’s animal paintings, especially the way he simplified and abstracted forms to capture their essence. Artists are always in dialogue with one another, riffing on ideas, pushing boundaries, and finding new ways of seeing. I’m struck by the way Gestel embraces uncertainty and ambiguity, leaving space for the viewer to fill in the gaps and find their own meaning.