Besneeuwd heuvellandschap 1923

This is Leo Gestel's 'Besneeuwd heuvellandschap' (Snowy Hilly Landscape) a black chalk drawing on paper. I love the way the hilly landscape is rendered in charcoal, with layers of soft, smudged marks building depth. You know, I’m imagining Gestel standing there in the snow, squinting through the cold, trying to capture the way the light hits the trees. The marks on the paper feel so immediate, like he’s wrestling with the scene, trying to pin it down before the light changes or his fingers freeze. Look how the texture of the paper shows through! That ruggedness becomes part of the image, it’s almost like the snow itself. The trees, they're like scratchy gestures, right? Quick, decisive. It makes me think about other artists too, like the German Expressionists, or even Marsden Hartley. There's something about that raw, emotional energy that feels familiar, a conversation across time and place. It’s all one big, messy, beautiful conversation, isn’t it?