Rennende paarden 1891 - 1941

Leo Gestel made this sketch, Rennende paarden, with a graphite pencil on paper. It’s like he’s trying to capture the essence of movement, not just the look of horses. Gestel’s drawing is all about line, isn’t it? The pressure he uses varies, giving some lines more weight, and others just a whisper. Look at the way he suggests the muscles in their legs with just a few strokes. It’s like he’s feeling his way around the form, trying to find the energy within. The horses overlap, creating a sense of depth and urgency. You can see how each mark is like a little experiment, a way of figuring something out. It reminds me of Marsden Hartley's drawings, where the subject is almost secondary to the sheer joy of mark-making. It’s more about the process than the finished product, and that’s where the real magic lies.