Boer rustend onder een boom in een weiland met koeien 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing of a farmer resting under a tree with cows in a meadow, we don't know when, using chalk on paper. It’s all about the push and pull of dark and light, like a visual seesaw. The chalk lines are so raw and immediate, you can practically feel Gestel's hand moving across the paper. The texture is rough and scratchy, not trying to be smooth or perfect. Look at the way the chalk sits on the paper, sometimes thick, sometimes thin. Notice the confident strokes that define the farmer's face, and the more tentative lines that suggest the foliage. It's like he's inviting us to see the world in simple, bold strokes. This piece reminds me a bit of woodcut prints, where the artist carves away at the block to reveal the image. It's a bold statement. Art doesn't always have to be about precision; sometimes, it's about capturing a feeling, a moment, with whatever tools you have at hand.