Twee vrouwen 1927

Leo Gestel made this drawing, Twee Vrouwen, using chalk and graphite on paper. The materials here are modest, but the effect is monumental. Gestel has reduced his composition to the barest essentials: two figures, rendered with a kind of blocky simplicity. We might even call it crude, except that the artist has clearly been very deliberate in his choices. See how the chalk gives a soft, almost dreamy atmosphere, while the graphite adds a crispness of line? The artist also emphasizes the formal, geometric properties of the figures. The hard angularity and stark lines lend the figures an almost industrial feel. Gestel’s process here reminds us that even the most basic materials can be used to create powerful and evocative images. The drawing challenges traditional notions of fine art, instead celebrating the beauty and expressiveness of humble materials and the labor involved in bringing them to life.