Tidstavle over H.C. Andersens liv 1866-1844 1930 - 1938

This page, from a book dating back to the mid-19th century, is filled with the handwritten life events of H.C. Andersen, recorded by Niels Larsen Stevns. I am immediately struck by the intense density of the writing – the letters are almost stacked on top of one another, tilting this way and that. The ink has faded and bled into the paper in places, creating a soft texture. These marks feel incredibly personal, a kind of diary-esque reflection of Andersen’s life and Stevns’ artistic process. Looking closely, you can see the dates listed, marking key moments and places he visited, like “New York,” “Edinburgh,” and “Holland.” Each word is carefully formed, as though the act of writing was a meditation in itself. There’s a sense of intimacy and care in the craftsmanship, and, for me, it resonates with the way Agnes Martin made her grid paintings, obsessively and repeatedly. This page is a testament to art as a labor of love, as an ongoing conversation with the past.