Studieblad met mannen en vrouwen c. 1901

Leo Gestel made this study sheet of men and women with pen and ink, and what looks like pencil. There’s an immediate graphic punch to the work. Black ink creates silhouettes of various figures, some more defined than others. It reminds me of sketches by Daumier—that kind of quick, social observation. I'm thinking about Gestel, and his hand moving rapidly across the page, trying to capture a likeness or a feeling about these different characters. Was he working from life, or from memory, or both? I wonder if this was a way of warming up, of finding his way into a larger composition? Or maybe it's a complete thought in itself. Either way, it speaks to me of the joy and freedom of drawing, the pleasure of mark-making, and how a few well-placed lines can suggest an entire world. It's the kind of thing that makes you want to pick up a pen and start drawing.