A reading lady

Although the present lot is dated 1913, it is very likely that Gestel executed the work earlier, somewhere between 1906 and 1910. Stilistically the work seems to fit better in the period 1908-1910. In 1913, Gestel had abandoned his luminist style and had already turned towards a more cubist manner of painting. In the former collection of J.F.S. Esser (Amsterdam), an unsigned oil sketch can be found, with the same woman in an identical position and dress. In this sketch, the brushstroke is much looser though, and moreover, Gestel did not apply the pointillistic touch as in the present, more finished version.