Portret van een onbekende man 1929 - 1932

Leo Gestel made this chalk drawing, *Portrait of an Unknown Man*, and what interests me is the intimacy of it. The artist coaxes the man’s face into being with these velvety marks, like he’s feeling his way around the contours of the face. You can almost see him squinting at his model, now looking at the face, then back to the page. It’s like the drawing emerges from a conversation, a dance between the artist and his subject. I wonder if Gestel knew this guy or if he was a stranger? Gestel’s decision to leave the background untouched is brilliant. It keeps the focus on the face, the lightness of the paper contrasting with the shaded face. When I zoom into the face, I can see the artist felt his way around the face, finding the shapes, the shadows, and the character. It’s a drawing filled with tenderness and curiosity.