Rennende paarden 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this drawing called "Rennende paarden", or "Running Horses", using graphite. Look at those blurred grey lines. Can't you feel the urgency and energy? I can almost imagine Gestel in the middle of a field, whipping out his sketchbook, trying to capture the raw power and elegance of these horses as they gallop past. There’s something really primal about this image, like it could be a cave painting. I think it's the way he's distilled the horses down to their most essential forms, all that dynamic movement, the wind in their manes. Did he want to go beyond the surface and touch something deep in the collective unconscious? Gestel has always been on my radar because, like me, he's never been afraid to experiment. We, as artists, are in an ongoing conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other's ideas across time. And, just as he did, we all embrace ambiguity, leaving space for multiple readings and interpretations of the work.