Springend paard 1937

Curator: Welcome. Before us is Leo Gestel’s "Springend paard", or "Jumping Horse," a 1937 drawing rendered in ink on paper, currently held here at the Rijksmuseum. What strikes you immediately? Editor: The energy. It’s captured mid-leap, all kinetic energy. The minimalist lines against the stark paper create a feeling of lightness, like it could bound right off the page. Curator: It's fascinating how Gestel distilled such powerful movement with such sparse linework. Gestel's earlier work was characterized by a much stronger Cubist and Expressionist vocabulary. This drawing signals a departure from abstraction towards figuration, but one tinged with modern aesthetics, and he was part of movements that changed art history, specifically post-impressionism and cubism in the Netherlands. Editor: I find myself wondering what brought about this shift. What historical currents might have influenced Gestel’s evolving artistic trajectory? There's a feeling of... perhaps even escapism in the depiction of this unbridled freedom, particularly given the social and political context of Europe in 1937, amidst growing authoritarianism and impending war. Curator: That’s insightful. We see a turn in the 1930s towards accessible imagery. While pure abstraction still held sway among avant-garde circles, there was pressure, implicit and sometimes explicit, from nationalistic groups that promoted an art rooted in realism and tradition, not for complexity. The simplification could be read as a move towards more relatable art, a strategy maybe. Editor: So, perhaps this seemingly simple image carries within it a quiet resistance or navigation of those complex power dynamics. How do you interpret Gestel's choice to isolate the horse, devoid of background or setting? Curator: Isolation enhances focus on form, and suggests the subject becomes symbolic beyond just “horse.” Think about its use as a symbol. Horse could represent freedom, strength, vitality. The choice of subject matter would have held immense significance during those tense times. Editor: Ultimately, Gestel gives us more than just a horse. This artwork urges us to confront freedom, a subject just as pressing then as it is today. Curator: Indeed, an exercise in considering art, the political landscapes they echo, and their subtle commentaries about the world.