Zonder titel Roos, vignet voor biografie van Gestel door Porf. W. van der Pluym 1935 - 1936

This rose, a vignette for a biography of Gestel, was drawn by Leo Gestel sometime in the early 20th century, probably with ink on paper. It’s all about mark-making here, a network of parallel lines that somehow coalesce into the form of a flower. The texture in this drawing is all in the linework; the density and direction create this feeling of volume and depth, like you could almost reach out and touch the petals. Notice how Gestel varies the spacing and thickness of the lines to suggest the curves and folds of the rose. Look at the upper left petal, where the lines are packed tight, almost vibrating with energy. It's like he’s mapping the topography of a rose with these simple, repetitive marks. Gestel's rose reminds me a little of the graphic work of someone like Henri Matisse, with its emphasis on line and simplified form. But there’s also something distinctly Gestel’s here, a kind of quiet intensity, a feeling that he’s not just depicting a rose, but also inviting us to contemplate the nature of seeing itself.