Sovende barn 1938

John Christensen made this drawing of a sleeping child, 'Sovende barn,' at some point in his short life, with delicate strokes of ink on paper. There’s something really intimate about drawings like this. You can sense Christensen hovering over the child, trying to capture the fleeting moment of peaceful rest. The ink lines feel quick and searching, as if he’s trying to map the contours of sleep itself. It's a bit like those drawings Picasso did of his kids, you know? The hands are especially poignant—clenched tight like they're holding onto some dream. It makes you wonder what the kid is dreaming about? Maybe Christensen was thinking about his own childhood, or the fragility of life. The sketch feels like a little meditation on innocence and vulnerability, like he wants to stop time. And that’s what art can do, right? Give us a moment to pause and reflect.