Altenberg (Ertsgebergte) 1923

Leo Gestel made this drawing, Altenberg (Etsgebergte), with pen in 1923. It's all about these crisp, almost brutal lines that build up the forms. You get the sense that Gestel wasn't trying to pretty things up. There's an honesty in how he's translated the landscape into these raw marks. The way the light and shadow are blocked in feels really modern, almost like early Cubism but softened around the edges. I love how the texture of the paper peeks through, especially in the sky and the foreground. It’s not trying to fool you into thinking it's a window. The details of the wheel on the left are so captivating. You can really feel the weight and roundness of the object. Thinking about how Gestel simplified the landscape reminds me of some of Cezanne’s drawings, that same search for essential forms. It's like he's saying, "Here’s what really matters," and stripping everything else away.