Nu faldt Efteraaret paa... 1928

Fritz Syberg made this drawing, "Nu faldt Efteraaret paa..." with ink on paper, a scene unfolding with scribbled energy. Imagine Syberg there, hatching those lines, building up the form of the trees, the ground, and the bench where someone might pause to take it all in. You can feel the scratch of the pen, the quick decisions, a kind of searching. Look at the bird perched on the rocks. What's he thinking? Is he waiting? You see the way Syberg uses line to create a dense thicket on the left, compared to the more open space on the right, a contrast that suggests a movement from enclosure to expansive view. I feel that as artists we're always in conversation, riffing off each other, finding new ways to see and express the world. There's something really generous about Syberg's lines; they don't pin anything down too tightly, leaving room for our own eyes and minds to wander.