Paarden, dansende mensen en maskers 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this ink drawing, Paarden, dansende mensen en maskers, on paper, and it’s teeming with life! I imagine him drawing quickly, intuitively, trying to capture a feeling, a memory, or a dream. The drawing is divided into three horizontal sections, like a frieze or a comic strip. The top section has these mask-like faces, each one unique, almost like a row of emojis expressing different emotions. Below them, figures dance and play music, their bodies elongated and stylized. At the bottom, horses gallop and rest, their forms simplified but full of energy. It’s like Gestel is channeling Picasso, or maybe even cave paintings, trying to tap into something primal and universal. I wonder if he was listening to music while he worked, letting the rhythm guide his hand. You can feel the artist really trying to find connections between inner and outer worlds. Artists, you know, we're always in conversation with each other, across time, across styles.