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68 Leo Gestel (1881-1941) Mother and child oil on canvas, 91x75 cm
67 Geert Grauss (1882-1929) Elegant ladies in the garden signed and dated ‘Grauss ‘16.’ (lower right) oil on canvas, 75x100 cm
Provenance: -Collection Paul Rijkens, Surrey (label attached to the stretcher). -With Kunsthandel Ivo Bouwman, The Hague, inv. no. 17, exhibited 3 October-2 November 1981. -Auction, Sotheby’s, Amsterdam, 3 October 1988, lot 57.
€30,000 - €40,000
€10,000 - €15,000
RKD image no. 228723.
Leo Gestel ranks among the leading pioneers of early twentieth-century Dutch modernism, alongside Piet Mondriaan (1872-1944) and Jan Sluijters (1881-1957). Before his departure to Mallorca, Gestel had already established himself as one of the most progressive figures within Dutch modernism. In these formative years, his work reveals a continuous search for renewal, moving away from academic naturalism towards a more expressive visual language: vibrant, often contrasting colours, fluid brushwork, and an increasing simplification of form. During his stay in Mallorca in 1914, his artistic style underwent a transformation. Confronted by the intense Mediterranean light, his palette became brighter and more vivid, while forms were further reduced to structured, almost geometric shapes. His compositions gained in rhythm and balance, reflecting a more pronounced engagement with Cubism. In this period, Gestel largely abandoned figural subjects, focusing instead on landscapes and harbour scenes, executed in loose brushstrokes and broad areas of colour. These works demonstrate a combination of Cubist form and Fauvist colour, signalling a new level of abstraction in his oeuvre. This intimate depiction of a mother and child, executed circa 1913, illustrates Gestel’s move towards a more expressive and modern style just before his Mallorca period. The composition is compact, with defined forms, strong brushwork, and the contrasting blue and red colours creating visual focus. The simplified forms reveal Gestel’s interest in abstraction, resulting in a work that balances tenderness with modernity, marking a crucial moment just before the artist’s stylistic transformation.
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