Studier af forskellig gravmæleornamentik. Notater 1932 - 1935

This is a page of studies of grave ornaments and notes by Niels Larsen Stevns. What an interesting idea, to draw the details of grave ornaments. I wonder why he was drawn to this subject. Looking at this page is like peeking into the artist’s mind. You can see the ghost of past marks, where he’s gone over the lines again and again, searching for the right form. The graphite is so soft and smudgy; it is like he’s tenderly feeling his way around these shapes, drawing out their essence from stone. And these shapes! The animal head with its long snout, the rosettes, the spirals… They all feel so ancient and full of symbolism, like fragments of a forgotten language. I bet Stevns felt a connection to something bigger than himself, something that stretched back centuries. It’s a beautiful reminder that art is always in conversation with the past, riffing on the ideas of those who came before us, and adding our own little twist to the story.