Skitser til reliefferne på Hjørring centralbibliotek 1930 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made these sketches for the reliefs at Hjørring central library with pencil on paper. Look at the way those lines are searching, finding the form through repetition and erasure. It feels like Niels is feeling his way through the fog. You can see him thinking aloud with his pencil. I bet he was muttering to himself, trying to get it right. When I’m in the studio I try to let the painting lead me. Like Niels here, I bet, trying to listen to what the work wants to become. This sketch is so immediate, you can feel the hand moving, and the mind, too. The goal isn't to capture something perfectly, but to show the energy and force of it, the gesture of it. And then to let it go! It’s like a dance, isn't it? We keep circling around, trying to learn from each other.