Studieblad met kudde paarden 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this study sheet of horses with pencil on paper, and it’s a dance of line, isn't it? I mean, look at how the horses emerge from the page, not as static figures but as a moving, breathing entity. I imagine Gestel, pencil in hand, trying to capture that feeling, maybe from memory, trying to coax the essence of these animals onto paper. It’s so playful. The lines are economic, but they tell you everything you need to know. You get the musculature, the energy, the sheer animal joy of movement. It reminds me of other artists who were obsessed with capturing movement, like Muybridge, or even Degas with his ballerinas. There's something timeless about it, this urge to pin down the ephemeral. Painting is a conversation across time, artists riffing off each other, and it allows for ambiguity, a kind of openness that invites you to bring your own experiences, your own feelings, to the work.