Studieblad met acht paarden 1891 - 1941

This is Leo Gestel’s ‘Studieblad met acht paarden’ made with pen and ink on paper. What strikes me is the simplicity of the line work, almost like a child's drawing, but with a sophistication in how the horses are arranged. It’s like Gestel is thinking through a problem, how to capture the essence of 'horse' with just a few lines. The leaping horse at the top, it's all energy, right? The way the line barely contains the form, it feels like movement itself. Then below, the others are more grounded, some grazing, one lying down, creating a kind of visual rhythm. There’s something very modern about this. It reminds me of Matisse’s line drawings, that same economy of means, trying to get at the core of something without getting bogged down in detail. Gestel's work, like all great art, is an invitation to look closer, to see the world with fresh eyes.