Zeilschepen op het water 1925 - 1927

Leo Gestel made this drawing, Zeilschepen op het water, with a graphite pencil. I love the loose strokes, kind of scribbly, like a sketch from life. You can almost feel the artist making quick decisions, trying to capture the scene before it changes. I’m imagining him standing there, charcoal in hand, squinting at the boats bobbing on the water, the crowd gathering on the shore. I wonder, was he seasick? Did he try to capture the sensation of the boats tilting in the breeze? It feels like Gestel is trying to pin down something fleeting. Look at the way he uses the charcoal to create depth, with those dark smudges suggesting shadows and volume. Gestel is part of a long line of artists who have tried to capture the world around them, turning observation into something felt. It's a reminder that art isn't just about what we see, but how we see it.