Huizen in een Italiaans dorp 1924

Leo Gestel made this drawing of houses in an Italian village with what looks like charcoal or graphite. It's all about how he makes marks to build a picture. The houses stack up like blocks, each one catching light and shadow in a way that feels both solid and a little dreamy. Look at the rooftops; the way he's smudged the charcoal gives them texture, almost like you could feel the rough tiles. Then, those dark, deep shadows hint at hidden spaces, cool and mysterious. There's a real physicality to the drawing, and I wonder what tools he used to create the contrast between light and dark. Gestel's drawing reminds me a bit of Giorgio Morandi, who, also, seemed to find endless possibilities in simple, everyday scenes. Both artists show us how seeing is a process, an ongoing conversation between the artist, the subject, and us.