Grote vogel met vier kleine vogels in een cirkel 1939 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this pencil drawing, titled 'Large bird with four small birds in a circle', in the Netherlands. I imagine Gestel reaching for a pencil, probably charcoal, and then scratching this flock of birds onto paper. The large bird, almost dove-like, soars above the others, which are huddled together, swirling in some kind of vortex. It’s like he’s asking, what does it mean to protect? There is a sense of vulnerability with these sketched marks. It almost reminds me of Picasso’s dove. You can imagine him thinking about peace, love, and safety. He made a lot of drawings, so I wonder if this study was for a larger painting. I feel like I’m watching him try to work something out, right there on the page. Artists riff off one another constantly, whether they know it or not. In some ways, we’re all just doodling in the margins of art history.