Små løse skitser af arkitektur og en figur 1902 - 1903

Niels Larsen Stevns created this sketch of architecture and a figure with graphite on paper, but the date of its creation is unknown. Though undated, this sketch can tell us a lot about the artistic process in Denmark at the turn of the 20th century. The loose lines and focus on form suggest an interest in academic training, which emphasized careful observation and accurate representation. The artist may have been associated with the Free Exhibition, an alternative exhibiting society, founded in 1891, as a reaction to the established and conservative Charlottenborg Exhibition. These kinds of quick sketches were often used by artists to capture ideas and explore different compositions before committing to a finished work, but how do we know this was not the final work? The answer to that question lies in the institutional history of art; in this case, in the art market and exhibition practices. To truly understand this sketch, one would need to delve into the artist's biography and examine the social and institutional context in which he worked, using research resources and archival materials.