To skitser af korsformer 1864 - 1941

This page, "To skitser af korsformer," of Niels Larsen Stevns’ sketchbook is a peek into his process. It’s all about the hand, the graphite, and the surface of the paper. The drawing is a series of marks, little scribbles, and notations. The forms of crosses are almost lost, or perhaps in the process of becoming. I love how you can see the artist thinking and experimenting, how one mark leads to the next. It’s less about the final image, and more about the doing, the making. There is a rhythm, a kind of visual music, created by the repetition of shapes. The contrast between the delicate lines of the drawing and the handwritten notes is really striking. It’s like two different languages, visual and verbal, existing side by side. For me, this piece has a real kinship with the work of Cy Twombly, in its exploration of gesture and form. Ultimately, what it all *means* is open to interpretation, and that’s what makes art so exciting.