Twee zeemeeuwen en het gezicht van een vrouw 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this pen drawing, "Two Seagulls and the Face of a Woman," on paper, and who knows when? The whole thing's a quick sketch, loose and flowing, with lines that feel like they're thinking out loud. He's not precious about detail. The seagulls are suggested more than described, and the woman's face is just a hint, floating in the mix. I love the way the lines create a sense of movement, like the water's rippling or the birds are swooping. Look at how the lines around the woman's face bleed into the waves, it's hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. It's kind of dreamy, like a memory or a fleeting thought. Reminds me a bit of Odilon Redon's symbolist drawings, all about mood and suggestion, rather than clarity. Art's not about answers, is it? It's about opening up questions, letting the image resonate in its own weird way.