Studier af råger eller ravne 1864 - 1941

These studies of rooks or ravens were made by Niels Larsen Stevns in pencil, and they feel very immediate and raw. There’s something so satisfying about seeing an artist's process laid bare, especially when it's just a simple study like this. I love the way Larsen Stevns uses these quick, almost frantic lines to capture the essence of the birds. There’s a real sense of movement and life in these sketches, even though they’re so minimal. The texture of the paper itself becomes part of the drawing, adding to the overall feeling of immediacy. Look at the bird at the top – the way the lines overlap and intersect, creating this dense, almost chaotic mass. It’s like the artist is trying to capture the bird in all its complexity, all at once. It reminds me of some of Philip Guston’s later drawings, that same sense of urgency and rawness. Art isn't always about perfection; sometimes, it's about capturing a feeling, a moment, an idea in its most unvarnished form.