Potloodschets van vijf Spakenburger vissers 1935 - 1936

Leo Gestel made this little pencil sketch of five Spakenburg fishermen with what looks like a regular graphite pencil. Gestel wasn't afraid to let his process show, which is cool. There's a real tenderness in the way these figures are rendered, like he's trying to capture a feeling more than a likeness. The lines are tentative, almost searching, as if the artist is thinking through the image as he draws. I love the negative space and the simplicity of the line. It gives these guys a real sense of weight and presence, even though it's just a sketch. Look at the feet, they’re hardly there. The line seems to suggest a foot rather than describe it, which, for me, gives the whole image a sense of movement. It reminds me a little of the German Expressionist, Kirchner. Both artists were trying to find a way to express modern experience, and both knew that sometimes the sketchiest mark can say more than a perfect drawing.