Twee naakte figuren en een paard aan de zee 1930

Leo Gestel created "Two Nude Figures and a Horse by the Sea," using gouache in 1930. As a Dutch artist who came of age during the World Wars, Gestel bore witness to the rapid shifts in European identity and culture. Here, the gendered gaze is complicated: the two female figures, rendered in earth tones, sit exposed near the shore, while the horse stands in the foreground, its bowed head conveying a sense of introspection. The visible brushstrokes and the figures’ obscured faces suggest a moment of fleeting intimacy. Gestel’s choice to depict the figures alongside an animal raises questions about the relationship between humans and the natural world. Are we meant to consider the way that our bodies and our emotions are intertwined with the landscapes we inhabit? This image evokes a sense of vulnerability, prompting us to consider our own relationship to the body, to nature, and to each other.