Studier af vaskebjørn 1864 - 1941

This is a page of studies of a raccoon by Niels Larsen Stevns, we don't know when. It’s all about line, the thinking line, searching, finding form as it goes. There is a beautiful, provisional feel to this drawing, the surface of the paper is raw and aged, with slight imperfections. It’s as if the artist is thinking aloud, letting us in on the earliest stages of their process. There are lots of lines around the raccoon's head, for example, almost like the artist is mapping out the different contours and volumes. It reminds me of Giacometti, his drawings had the same tentative quality, of trying to pin down something elusive. And, of course, drawing is also about not pinning things down, but embracing the uncertainty of seeing. It’s about staying open to the possibilities, letting the image emerge slowly, organically, as if of its own accord. Art isn't a fixed entity, it’s an ongoing conversation.