Udkast til "Kristus helbreder en spedalsk" 1937 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made this drawing, Udkast til "Kristus helbreder en spedalsk", with pencil on paper, and I imagine him sketching this out quickly, trying to get the composition right. You can see the grid of the paper shining through, which gives it a mathematical vibe, a little like a blueprint. What I love about the image is how simple it is. The human figures are just outlines, and the landscape is suggested with quick marks. I sympathize with Larsen Stevns. I wonder what he was thinking when he made it. I find it fascinating to think about how artists borrow and respond to one another's work across time. It is clear that Larsen Stevns was likely influenced by earlier depictions of Christ, and there is something timeless about this image, even in its unfinished state. It's like a conversation that never ends, an exchange of ideas that continues to inspire creativity, while also embracing the ambiguity of drawing.