Galopperend paard 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this small drawing of a galloping horse with pen and ink. It’s all about process, isn’t it? You can see how he built up the form, like a 3D model, through layers and layers of hatching marks, small lines, and cross-hatching. The material aspect of ink on paper is really interesting here. The dark lines create a solid, almost sculptural presence for the horse, but the texture is incredibly alive and immediate. Look at the horse's body and the way the light catches some areas while others recede into shadow. It's like Gestel is thinking through the drawing, allowing the physicality of the ink to guide his representation of movement. The horse looks like it’s really galloping, kicking up a little storm of sketched marks below. Gestel was part of the early modernist movement in the Netherlands, and while this piece is representational, you can see the influence of cubism and expressionism in his attention to form and texture. Thinking about Franz Marc comes to mind; they were both interested in animals, but especially the emotional states of animals. Art is like one big conversation after all.