Koeien 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing, Koeien, with chalk, on paper. The shapes are reduced to their bare minimum. Look at the front cow grazing. It's mostly filled in with one shade, a field of soft grey, giving it weight, anchoring it to the earth. Then the swift, almost jittery lines defining its back suggest an animal that might wander off at any moment. I wonder, was Gestel trying to capture the essence of ‘cowness’ through the economy of line and tone? It makes me think of other artists such as Franz Marc, or even cave paintings, where animals are depicted with simple lines that evoke movement, spirit, and life. As painters we are all in this ongoing conversation, borrowing, reacting, and reinterpreting ideas across time. Each generation of artists leaves its mark, adding new layers of meaning and understanding to our shared visual language.