Skitse af jolle 1905 - 1907

Editor: This is *Skitse af jolle*, a pencil and graphite drawing on paper by Niels Larsen Stevns, dating from 1905 to 1907. It has a raw and rudimentary feel. The composition appears experimental, as though the artist is trying to understand the essence of the subject. What do you see in this piece? Curator: The immediate visual impact lies in its formal qualities. Note the geometric structure dominating the composition. The artist employs lines, rudimentary yet precise, to delineate the shape of what one can assume is the boat. Observe how the hatching creates tonal variations, a simple yet effective method of conveying depth and volume, despite the artwork's bi-dimensionality. How do you see the role of the grid paper in your interpretation? Editor: Well, the underlying grid, normally hidden, becomes a visible structure that affects how we see the sketch. It suggests a tension between the freedom of the sketch and the imposed order, a type of contrast... but contrast between what, exactly? Curator: Precisely. That contrast is pivotal. The sketch defies pure geometry with its slightly wavering lines and inconsistent densities of shading. Larsen Stevns seems to be exploring the relationship between ideal form and the imperfect realization, a theme quite prominent within early modern art's negotiation of form and representation. The unfinished nature further highlights the materiality and the process itself. What does the lack of finish suggest? Editor: Maybe that the *process* of creation is as important as the final form? Like it is less about an image and more about exploring form. Curator: Indeed, by laying bare the foundations of its creation – the linear structure and the artist’s mark-making – this piece provides us insight into Stevns' exploration of spatial representation through abstraction. The drawing serves as both a study of an object and a record of thought itself. Editor: I never would have considered that! I appreciate how a simple sketch can reveal complex considerations of form and process.