Zelfportret 1891 - 1941

Editor: So this is a self-portrait by Leo Gestel, dated somewhere between 1891 and 1941, and it's currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It's a graphite drawing, and what immediately strikes me is how… stark it is. Almost cartoonish in its simplicity, yet strangely intense. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Stark, yes! But that simplicity, that very directness, becomes a kind of invitation, don't you think? I see someone wrestling with representation. Look at that single, almost manicured eyebrow, versus the bare circle representing the eye. It's like he’s deconstructing the very idea of portraiture. Do you get a sense of humor from it, maybe even a little self-mockery? Editor: I can see the self-mockery, definitely. It's almost like he's poking fun at the traditional self-portrait. That simplification… is it Expressionistic, maybe? Curator: Ah, now you're cooking! The distorted features, that unsettling gaze… Expressionism definitely lends a vocabulary. But think about caricature, too. Is he exaggerating certain aspects of himself, maybe ones he was particularly self-conscious about? Art is all about asking questions rather than trying to come up with all the answers all the time. Editor: That's a great point. I hadn't really considered the caricature angle, but the more I look, the more it seems like he's intentionally playing with those expectations. A personal sketchbook, an intimate moment… Curator: Precisely. Imagine finding this in his sketchbook, among other, perhaps more conventional studies. Wouldn't it feel like you were catching a glimpse of the artist’s inner world, his anxieties, his… playfulness? I'm now tempted to find out everything about him; I want to delve into what made him feel so much in one go. Editor: It does feel really personal and spontaneous. Almost like a visual diary entry! It's funny how something so simple can feel so revealing. Curator: Exactly. And sometimes, it’s in those seemingly insignificant sketches, those brief, almost impulsive gestures, that we discover the artist's true self. Art gets at the soul. Editor: Thanks that perspective changed how I think of not only this portrait but how other more finished or completed artwork maybe have unfinished intention too.