Omslagontwerp voor: De Gemeenschap, 1935 c. 1935

Leo Gestel made this cover design for "De Gemeenschap" in 1935 with graphite on paper. It's a tree absolutely brimming with birds, each drawn with such direct, simple lines. You can almost feel the artist working through the composition, the marks so present, so un laboured. Look at how the graphite varies in tone and weight, creating depth and texture. There's a rawness to the drawing, an immediacy in the way Gestel captured each bird. It is not so much about perfect anatomical representation, but more about capturing a feeling, a sense of lively abundance. Notice the different ways he renders the feathers, sometimes with quick, scribbled lines, other times with more deliberate strokes that define the bird's form. Gestel's drawing reminds me a little of Odilon Redon’s dreamlike charcoal drawings, they share a similar commitment to conveying a poetic, interior vision. Art, like this drawing, invites us into a space of possibility, where we can see the world through another's eyes.