Vrouwenhoofd 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made "Vrouwenhoofd," or "Head of a Woman," with graphite. There’s something so intimate about seeing the hand of the artist so directly, isn't there? Like finding someone’s diary, except instead of secrets, it's all about how they build a face out of nothing. Look at the left side of her face, where the shading is heaviest. It’s almost like Gestel smudged the graphite with his thumb, softening the planes of her cheek. The graphite clings to the paper's surface, catching the light just so, and reminding us of its own texture. And those eyes! One is a dark void, the other catching the light, both askew and intense. Gestel, like Picasso, and others, was clearly aware of the masks of tribal cultures and their power in representing the human head. What does she see? What is she thinking? I don't know, and that's what makes her so intriguing.