Schip en een roeiboot 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing of a ship and a rowboat with what looks like charcoal on paper. I really love how Gestel has used a limited palette and simple marks to suggest so much. It’s like he’s saying, “Here’s the bare minimum to get the idea across.” And it works! The texture is soft, almost hazy, especially in the way he’s shaded the larger ship. The lines are confident, not fussy. Check out the little rower – just a few strokes, but you totally get the sense of a person in a boat. And the way the water is suggested by these horizontal lines really draws me in. It's so simple but so effective. This reminds me a little of some drawings by Marsden Hartley, that same kind of directness and reduction to essentials. Both artists show how much can be said with very little. It’s a reminder that art isn't always about adding more; sometimes, it’s about taking away.