Drie koeien en een paard in de wei 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing of three cows and a horse, probably with graphite on paper. There’s a vulnerability to the openness of Gestel’s process. The lines feel provisional, searching, as if the drawing is as much about figuring out the forms as it is about describing them. Look at the way he renders the horse’s body with a kind of broken, hesitant line, a series of tentative marks piecing together the animal’s form. This is a drawing about seeing, about the artist’s gaze trying to make sense of the world. It's a conversation between the artist and the subject, a kind of call and response. And, in that sense, it reminds me a little of Marsden Hartley’s raw, honest approach. Both artists let their process show, inviting us into the studio. Ultimately, this piece reminds us that art is about embracing ambiguity and seeing where it takes you.