Roos 1934 - 1936

Leo Gestel made this drawing of a rose with ink on paper, and the result is so bold! The black ink spreads and bleeds, building up these deep contrasts and sharp edges. It feels really immediate, like a snapshot, not super laboured over. I wonder what Gestel was thinking, choosing to represent this rose in such a graphic way? He probably wanted to capture something essential. It’s like he's carving out the form with the brush, digging into the heart of the flower. The overall effect is quite modern and almost abstract, like the rose is morphing into something else right before our eyes. You can see the influence of the cubists who were also interested in revealing the hidden structures of things. It reminds me of Mondrian's flowers too. Artists are always in dialogue!