Gezicht van een man en een vrouw 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing, "Gezicht van een man en een vrouw", with pen and ink. The starkness of the black lines against the paper really grabs you, doesn't it? Gestel has this confident way of simplifying form. He captures the essence of a face with just a few strokes. Look at the way he renders the hair of the man. It’s not about detail, but more about the rhythm and texture. The density of the dark ink at the base of the necks is really striking. It almost feels like a shadow, pulling the figures out of the page. Gestel is not afraid to leave areas untouched, letting the negative space define the forms. This is a good reminder that art, like life, is often about what you leave out as much as what you put in. It makes me think of Matisse.