Rechthoek met golven en een vis Possibly 1940 - 1945

Curator: Let's delve into Leo Gestel’s “Rechthoek met golven en een vis,” potentially created between 1940 and 1945. Editor: What strikes me most is the use of pencil on paper, creating this ephemeral, almost ghost-like quality. What can you tell me about this drawing? Curator: Given the period and the sketch-like quality, consider the materials themselves. Pencil and paper were readily available, discreet, and easily concealed, especially during wartime. The work's potential creation between 1940 and 1945 suggests it might be born out of material limitations and constraints caused by conflict. What does this utilitarian aspect convey? Editor: I see what you mean; there is a sense of… resourcefulness to it, almost like making art under duress. But is it necessarily defined by limitations? The lines, though simple, are quite elegant. Curator: But isn’t elegance here potentially a by-product of necessity? Gestel couldn't easily access other materials, maybe because of war time conditions, and pencil was cheap to get hold of? Look at the broader socio-economic conditions shaping the artwork’s creation, from the availability of supplies to the artist's working conditions. How might scarcity itself be considered an aesthetic choice here? Editor: So, it's about shifting our perspective? Rather than simply seeing limitations, you're prompting us to recognize how these constraints shaped artistic expression during this specific time, making it more immediate and responsive. Curator: Exactly. The materials and methods reveal the conditions of its making. Gestel isn't just depicting a scene but also documenting, in a way, the material realities of the era. The choice wasn't merely aesthetic; it was born from material conditions. Editor: That's a really insightful viewpoint. I never thought to analyze the work through the lens of material accessibility, that makes the experience even more intense, giving it more texture. Curator: That’s materialism at work for you! We see the echoes of material reality embedded within the image.