Briefkaart aan Jan Ponstijn before 1917

Curator: Alright, let's discuss "Briefkaart aan Jan Ponstijn", an expressive drawing in ink on paper crafted by Leo Gestel, likely before 1917. It's part of the Rijksmuseum collection. What strikes you first about this piece? Editor: Well, immediately, it feels intimate. Like a glimpse into the artist's inner thoughts, raw and unfiltered. The loose lines and sketches give it a very personal feeling. The cup of steaming coffee definitely evokes comfort, you know? It’s like looking over someone’s shoulder as they are letting off steam… literally, but also metaphorically! Curator: Absolutely. Coffee as a symbol often represents awakening, alertness, or perhaps even nervous energy. Gestel's Expressionist approach uses the medium's immediacy to convey a state of mind. We can delve into the cup of coffee for being an archetype symbol of sharing intimacy, comfort, the quotidian elevated... The letter is a map of an intimate relationship. Editor: Right, and there are figures almost hiding amongst the words. That sketchy little character with what looks like a tiny stepladder makes me wonder what stories are buried there! It is expressionist and slightly mad, yes! Curator: Gestel's work frequently explored the emotional landscape through portraiture and sketches like this one. Even the scrawled handwriting, itself a visual element, suggests a certain urgency or perhaps playful casualness depending on one’s interpretations. The figures appear, hidden, yet familiar—it’s as though our attention summons them to become clear as symbols, as well as figures. Editor: Urgency is it. I read urgency, like, the pen barely touching the paper and then darting away as the mind does the same. You could never recreate this. It captures the dynamism of living so very nicely, even now. Curator: I agree, and by observing Gestel's symbolism here, it opens avenues to discuss deeper social and personal experiences represented through art in general, like a portal! Editor: A portal written on a caffeinated wave! It makes you wonder about Jan Ponstijn, about the life that unfolded between them. A tiny treasure chest really!