Schets voor 'L'art Hollandais contemporain' van Paul Fierens (baadsters, detail) 1932 - 1933

Here's a sketch of a bather, a quick study, made by Leo Gestel. The artist used black ink on paper to explore a composition for a painting called ‘L’art Hollandais contemporain’. Looking at this drawing, I imagine Gestel grabbing a pen, almost absentmindedly, and starting to trace the outline of a figure. There’s such simplicity in these lines, they are confident yet delicate. It feels like he's searching for the essence of the form with each stroke. The contour of the face is so smooth, while the heavy block of shadow where her eye should be is really intriguing. It’s as if he’s playing with concealing and revealing at the same time. In terms of mark-making, Gestel and other artists are in constant conversation, figuring out ways to build images, to make things appear, to come alive. It's like they're passing notes to each other across time and space, each adding their own little doodle to the ongoing story of painting.