Studieblad met vier personen bij een waterbron, een man op een ezel en een paard by Leo Gestel

Studieblad met vier personen bij een waterbron, een man op een ezel en een paard 1891 - 1941

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Dimensions: height 245 mm, width 364 mm

Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain

Editor: Here we have "Studieblad met vier personen bij een waterbron, een man op een ezel en een paard", or Study Sheet with Four People at a Water Fountain, a Man on a Donkey and a Horse. Leo Gestel created this sketch, sometime between 1891 and 1941. I'm immediately struck by the dreamlike quality – figures and animals floating almost weightlessly on the page. What do you see in this piece? Curator: For me, it's a window into Gestel's creative process, you know? It’s like peeking into his mind. This sheet feels like a playground where different ideas, figures, and forms come together without needing to make immediate sense together. Editor: I see what you mean. It's like a collection of snippets from different stories. Do you think he intended these figures to be connected? Curator: Maybe, maybe not. It’s not so much about the "what" as it is about the "how." Gestel experiments. Look at the figure of the upturned donkey rider – playful, almost rebellious against gravity. It adds this unexpected tension to an otherwise peaceful, classical scene with the figures at the fountain. I wonder if it's Gestel playing, trying out, daring himself! Editor: I hadn't considered the donkey rider that way, so playfully rebellious! So you see more importance in his method and technique than whatever he might be depicting? Curator: Exactly! This feels intensely personal, immediate, a dance of hand and eye. This isn't a finished painting; it's the raw energy before the refinement, before everything makes perfect sense. You almost feel his hand moving across the paper. Editor: This makes me think about my own creative process, all the random sketches and ideas that never quite make it into the final piece! Curator: Precisely! That raw experimentation *is* the art, sometimes. Thanks for sharing that observation about your experience – it's what Gestel makes me reflect on too.

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