Plantestudier 1906 - 1910

This drawing, *Plantestudier*, by Niels Larsen Stevns looks like it was made with pencil in a sketchbook. You can see the other pages behind. I love how simple it is. When I look at these drawings, I think about artists like Agnes Martin, who also made subtle works on paper. What might Stevns have been thinking when he made these drawings? Perhaps he was trying to capture the essence of the plant, the way the leaves reach for the sun. The marks are tentative and searching, as if the artist is trying to understand the form of the plant through touch. You can imagine the artist outside, closely observing the plants, and sketching them with a light hand. Ultimately, artists are always learning from each other, even across time. These drawings are a reminder that art can be found in the everyday, in the simple act of looking closely at the world around us.