Mannenhoofd 1891 - 1941

This drawing, "Mannenhoofd", by Leo Gestel, is at the Rijksmuseum. It’s charcoal on paper, a meeting of smudgy dark marks and a soft gray ground. I’m imagining Gestel, maybe in a state of intense concentration, capturing this head in profile. The charcoal seems almost like it's melting into the paper, especially around the back of the head. You can almost feel the pressure he exerted to get those dense blacks to emerge out of nothing. I wonder, was he thinking of the great masters, like Michelangelo, also working with charcoal? I'm drawn to the lines that define the nose and the mouth; they are both so strong and delicate. The forehead, furrowed with just a few marks, speaks volumes. It’s like Gestel wasn’t just drawing a head, but the weight of thought itself. Painting is like one long, endless conversation where each artist is responding to someone who came before them and also talking to someone who’s not even born yet.