Briefkaart aan Jan Ponstijn c. 1919

Leo Gestel dashed off this postcard to Jan Ponstijn, probably with ink, and it's more than just a quick note; it's a study in gesture. The way the words crowd each other, leaning and looping, tells you as much as the message itself. Look at the 'M' in 'Maandag'. See how the downstrokes vary in pressure, the ink pooling and thinning, creating a rhythm. This kind of writing is like drawing. The texture of the paper, you can almost feel it, slightly rough, absorbing the ink in its own way. It’s a collaboration between the hand, the tool, and the surface. Gestel was part of a wave of artists who blurred the lines between representation and abstraction. Think of someone like Kandinsky, where the act of making became as important as the image. Like those painters, Gestel shows that art is about embracing the unpredictable, the happy accidents that emerge when you let the materials lead the way.