Zelfportret 1891 - 1941

This self-portrait by Leo Gestel, wherever and whenever it was made, looks like it came together tentatively, with charcoal. I wonder what Gestel was thinking when he made this? It’s as though he’s trying to feel his way into his own face. Starting with the skull, mapping out the territory before filling in the details. The eyes are mere slits, but the nose is quite assertive, casting a shadow that suggests depth and volume. The mouth is just a simple line, but it conveys a sense of quiet contemplation. Maybe he was trying to capture something essential about himself, stripping away all the artifice and pretense. You can imagine other artists who have tried to pin themselves down on paper: Rembrandt, Schiele, Picasso! In painting, artists have this ongoing conversation, inspiring one another’s creativity. It’s about embracing ambiguity, letting there be multiple interpretations and meanings instead of one fixed reading.