Figur- og ornamentstudier 1900 - 1904

Niels Larsen Stevns made this sketch in pencil on paper, and I can only imagine how he brought it into being through a process of trial, error, and intuition. I can almost sympathize with the artist as he tried to figure out how to capture form. I wonder, what was he thinking when he made this? I notice the texture of the paper and the way the pencil glides across its surface, each line contributing to the emotional and intellectual resonances of the work. Look at how one particular gesture communicates feeling and meaning, it speaks to the artist's intention. This piece relates to Stevns’s wider practice and body of work. Artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. Painting is a form of embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.