Portret van een onbekende man 1929 - 1932

Leo Gestel made this portrait of an unknown man with chalk, and it feels like a study in light and shadow. The way he's built up the tones is very deliberate; it's not just about likeness, it's about the act of seeing. Looking at the texture, you can almost feel the chalk on the paper, especially around the eyes. The highlights on his forehead and nose, they’re like beacons, guiding your gaze. There's something so raw and immediate about the medium. And the ochre paper, it creates this warm, almost nostalgic atmosphere. Check out that one stroke defining the cheekbone—it's so simple, yet it does so much work. It reminds me of the way Lucian Freud would use a single brushstroke to capture the essence of a form, but Gestel's approach feels a bit more gentle, a bit more forgiving. It's a conversation between the artist, the model, and the material itself. It really makes you think about the history of seeing.