Studieblad met man op een ezel en een ornament 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this sketch of a man on a donkey and an ornament at an unknown date with graphite on paper. Imagine him with the paper on his lap and quickly moving the pencil. He seemed to be trying out an idea for a painting, perhaps. It's interesting, right? The drawing style is tentative yet expressive, with each line feeling like a little experiment. Gestel’s focus on line and form reminds me of other modernists, like Matisse. He captures the essence of the subject with minimal detail. I wonder if he thought of the man as an extension of the donkey. And then there's that ornament. A world in itself, a jungle. Look at the way he explores pattern and decoration alongside figurative elements. You get the sense that he is thinking through the possibilities of making, in that moment.