Studie af Bertel Thorvaldsen efter maleri på Frederiksborg 1930 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made this study of Bertel Thorvaldsen with graphite pencil on paper. It looks like it’s from a page in a sketchbook. I love the way this drawing captures the essence of a sculpture through quick, confident lines. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving rapidly across the page, trying to grasp the form and volume of Thorvaldsen's work. It's a study of a painting of a sculpture, can you imagine the layers of interpretation? It makes me think about the challenge of representing three-dimensional objects on a two-dimensional surface. And how Stevns has managed to convey the weight and solidity of the sculpture through just a few marks. You know, sketching like this is a real conversation with the artists of the past. It is all part of this wonderful back-and-forth that keeps art alive.