Udkast til "Kristus velsigner de små børn" 1937 - 1938

This sketch, by Niels Larsen Stevns, is an early idea for a painting on a biblical theme. It’s just pen on paper, and the marks are so quick and fleeting. I can just imagine the artist's hand, trying to find the essence of the story. I wonder what he was thinking as he tried to capture the right composition? Did he want to emphasize the intimacy between Christ and the children, or the broader social context of the scene? The image is sparse, yet the few lines indicate so much. These marks remind me of Cy Twombly, or even cave paintings—these very basic marks becoming such a powerful expression. Here, Stevns distills a complex narrative into its most essential elements. You can sense him embracing ambiguity and uncertainty, knowing that the sketch is just the beginning of the creative journey, just one step on the way to a painting.