Blad met drie studies van handen 1925 - 1927

Leo Gestel made this sheet with three studies of hands using black chalk. The smudgy, powdery quality of the chalk gives the hands a soft, almost ethereal feel. Look at the way Gestel uses the side of the chalk to create broad areas of shading, then switches to the tip for sharper, more defined lines. You can really see the push and pull of the medium across the page. Take for instance, the bottom hand; the dark shading around the fingers makes them almost glow against the lighter paper. It’s like Gestel is trying to capture not just the shape of the hand, but its weight, its texture, its very essence. Gestel reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, another artist who was interested in the human figure, and the way we can use simple materials to create powerful images. Art’s just an ongoing conversation, isn’t it? A way of seeing and feeling and thinking together, across time.