Man met pet en sigaar 1921

Leo Gestel made this drawing of a man with a cap and cigar with charcoal on paper. I like how the charcoal is smudged and softly rendered, giving a smoky haziness to the image. It makes me wonder if the artist was himself sitting in a room full of smoke when he made this drawing. I'm thinking of other charcoal drawings, like those by Kathe Kollwitz, who also knew how to make the medium express both tenderness and grief. Gestel uses the charcoal to its full potential, creating deep dark shadows and soft, luminous highlights. Look at how the light falls across the man's face, accentuating his features and giving him a sense of depth and volume. The drawing feels like a study in contrasts—light and dark, hard and soft, rough and smooth. I can imagine Gestel working quickly, capturing the essence of his sitter with a few deft strokes.