Studier af liggende ko og af heste 1864 - 1941

Curator: Let's take a look at this drawing by Niels Larsen Stevns. The work, titled "Studies of a Recumbent Cow and of Horses," dates from between 1864 and 1941 and is held here at the SMK, Statens Museum for Kunst. It’s a pencil drawing on paper. Editor: My immediate impression is quiet contemplation. These are swift, confident lines – you sense the artist just grabbing whatever’s at hand, almost absentmindedly recording forms. The gridded paper lends a structured backdrop to these very organic, fleeting sketches. Curator: The gridded paper is significant; it provides a glimpse into the artistic process. These are studies, meant to explore form, mass, and movement, rather than create a finished piece. The animals depicted—cows and horses—reflect Stevns's broader interest in the Danish landscape and rural life, common motifs within the broader artistic movements concerned with nationalism and romanticism of that era. Editor: Exactly! They feel like whispered observations of life around him. And though incomplete, they reveal so much. Notice how even with minimal strokes he captures the essence of each animal, the heaviness of the cow, and hints at the power of the horses. The artist's hand seems sure, the movement implied in each figure feels captured with sensitivity and maybe a bit of joy. Curator: Considering Stevns' broader artistic practice, which often included depictions of peasants and laborers, these animal studies serve to expand the notion of rural life to encompass not only human labor, but also the role and presence of livestock in the cultural and economic life of the time. These images humanize, perhaps even idealize, a harmonious connection between humanity and the natural world. Editor: It’s intriguing to consider this page as a meditation on connection. Beyond the subject matter itself, there's something beautifully intimate about witnessing these works as process, this moment captured in time as a visual reflection of both intention and emotion of the artist while he’s considering his surroundings. Curator: Ultimately, Stevns gives us an intimate perspective. It underscores art as a method of inquiry and interaction with the world around us. Editor: And it really makes you think of the hours artists put in honing their craft, these sketches as quiet echoes, like personal lullabies on paper.