Studier af råger eller ravne 1864 - 1941

Here are some studies of rooks or ravens, drawn by Niels Larsen Stevns, probably with graphite, in a sketchbook. What can we tell about the artist from these lines? I imagine him outside, in a field, or by a lake, quickly sketching these birds as they move around. It's a challenge to capture their essence with just a few lines, and you can see him trying different angles, different ways of showing their bodies. That beak pointing downwards is so economical. He's really thinking about how to describe the form of the bird, its weight, its presence, with just the bare minimum of marks. It makes you wonder about the relationship between looking and drawing. How does the act of drawing change how we see? And how does seeing then change our drawing? You can see the question of how to represent something playing out right on the page. Artists work with constant questioning.