Negen mannen en een paard 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel’s ‘Nine Men and a Horse’ is a small drawing, that could be made with ink, where figures emerge from a ground of pale paper. I love the way the line here isn’t trying too hard, it's kind of casual, you know? Look how each figure is rendered with so few strokes, yet they manage to suggest weight, stance, and even a bit of personality. The horse too, it’s like a ghostly presence, rendered with the same economical, almost playful line. I find myself wondering about the artist’s hand, was he fast, or slow? Did he labour, or did he fly? It reminds me of the way Picasso would just dash off a drawing in a few minutes, but with a lifetime of knowledge informing every stroke. There’s this sense of process, like we’re seeing the artist thinking, or maybe even dreaming, on paper. For me art is always in conversation with itself, and with other artists. I think the rawness of the sketch has something in common with the work of Guston. It's this ambiguity and freedom of interpretation that keeps me hooked.