Ontwerpschets affiche voor propaganda kunstbescherming in het leger, schets van soldaat, die met de linkerhand een stopteken maakt 1939

This is Leo Gestel's quick sketch of a soldier, designed for a propaganda poster, now at the Rijksmuseum. It's all lines, right? Like when you start a painting and you're just trying to figure out the general forms. I wonder if Gestel ever got to make the final poster. Sometimes the sketch is the best part, full of potential. Look at that hand, raised in a stop gesture. You can almost feel the authority, the demand for attention. It's not just about the message, but how the gesture communicates feeling, intention, or meaning. Gestel was part of a whole movement of artists exploring new ways of seeing. I bet he looked at other artists' posters for inspiration. I imagine him thinking, "How can I make this image grab people, make them think?" Ultimately, Gestel's sketch is part of an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time. It embraces ambiguity, allowing for multiple interpretations.