Landskabsstudie. Farveangivelser 1930 - 1936

Curator: Before us is “Landskabsstudie. Farveangivelser” or “Landscape study. Color Indications” by Niels Larsen Stevns, a drawing made with pencil on paper sometime between 1930 and 1936. Editor: There’s something frantic about the linework; a series of scratched and hurried marks that evokes a sense of unease despite it being a landscape. Curator: I find it intriguing that Stevns, primarily recognized for his religious art, ventured into abstraction even within the landscape genre. This challenges our assumptions about his artistic inclinations and the cultural reception of religious painters in the early 20th century. Editor: Yes, his exploration of landscape perhaps offered an outlet for pure emotion, a visual space free from prescribed theological iconography. I detect a psychological rawness in these jagged, repetitive strokes. Are we witnessing anxiety or simply a brisk Nordic wind rendered symbolically? Curator: The period is key here. Considering the interwar years, one could argue this resonates with the pervading sense of uncertainty influencing society and thus artistic creation. This sketch is kept at SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. I wonder how a piece such as this informs our broader understanding about Stevns' cultural imprint? Editor: His art serves as an index of cultural memory – those scratchy mountains mirror shared emotional turbulence. If landscapes externalize inner states, Stevns gifts us collective angst embodied. Curator: It's almost as though he’s capturing not just the physical attributes of the landscape but an emotional residue. It reminds us that landscapes have long functioned beyond scenic backdrops. Editor: Indeed. Larsen Stevns has given us both a glimpse and something deeply reflective here. Curator: An invaluable and evocative peek behind the scenes.