Naakte zittende vrouw met opgetrokken knieën (schets) before 1936

Curator: Before us is "Naakte zittende vrouw met opgetrokken knieën," which translates to "Naked Sitting Woman with Drawn-up Knees," a sketch by Leo Gestel, likely made before 1936. The Rijksmuseum holds this piece, showcasing Gestel's skillful use of ink on paper. Editor: Well, she looks intensely private, curled into herself. There's a sadness in the set of her shoulders and that dark wash of ink behind her almost cocoons her in melancholy. It’s powerfully evocative despite the sketch-like quality. Curator: Indeed. Consider the artistic milieu of the time. Gestel, working in the early 20th century, was engaging with broader social shifts towards introspection and personal experience. This is a study of a female figure, yes, but the quick lines and the relative simplicity of the medium implies the intimacy of the pose itself. Ink sketches often served as studies for paintings, enabling exploration of composition and tone. Editor: Right, like he's capturing a fleeting feeling, not just a figure. The hatching, it’s almost frantic, giving the piece a kind of raw honesty. You sense a real human presence. It is very modern with his use of line, creating volume using many short marks. Curator: Exactly. And the deliberate choices he makes in terms of material - ink being more easily transported than paints - affects how this study, if intended as one, could come to life. This contrasts starkly with idealized, often hyper-realistic nudes produced throughout the period. Instead, there’s a casual and candid nature. The artist is in pursuit of truth about the human form. Editor: Ultimately it's Gestel's light touch in conveying this emotional truth through simple ink and paper, making it all feel deeply relatable, somehow even vulnerable. I like it immensely, for it's almost lack of grandiosity and more a quiet acceptance. Curator: Absolutely. The Gestel artwork really does a lot of the lifting of meaning. Its construction bears traces of human engagement with medium, subject, and its era and society in the means of its own making.