Studier af forskellig gravmæleornamentik. Notater 1932 - 1935

This is a page of studies of grave ornamentations and notes, made by Niels Larsen Stevns, though I can't tell you when. It looks like it was created with pencil on paper. What strikes me immediately is the casualness of it, the rapid gestures, and the way the artist works over lines and shapes, searching for their form. Look closely, and you can see how the artist is feeling his way through the forms, allowing some to stand out with more clarity than others. There’s a fluidity here that feels like a conversation, as if he’s talking to the shapes, asking them questions and letting them respond. This process is particularly evident in the ornamentation at the bottom left. The lines are thick and deliberate, creating a sense of weight and substance. I'm reminded of the graphic work of Philip Guston, who also embraced a kind of raw, searching line. Ultimately, this drawing speaks to the idea of art as an ongoing investigation, where the meaning is not fixed but emerges through the act of making.