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

This drawing, Studieblad met man op een ezel en een ornament, was made by Leo Gestel, but the date is unknown, with graphite on paper. It's all about the line here, isn't it? Thin, searching, unfinished. The eye’s drawn to the ornament on the left, teeming with figures - animals, humans - coexisting in a dense, swirling space. The texture is created by the density of the graphite marks. What strikes me is the contrast between this imagined, almost dreamlike world and the two studies of a man, one on a donkey, rendered with simple, clear lines. Look at the way Gestel suggests form and shadow with just a few strokes. Each line feels tentative, as if he's figuring it out as he goes. This kind of direct, unpretentious mark-making reminds me a little of Alfred Kubin. Both artists create a sense of unease through their raw, unfiltered approach to drawing. It celebrates the beauty of the imperfect and provisional. Art isn't about answers but about the ongoing process of questioning and exploring.