Blank 1864 - 1941

This blank book was made by Niels Larsen Stevns, and its openness is a bit of a dare, isn’t it? The warm, creamy colour of the pages, the slightly foxed and aged quality, invites us to imagine what might be inscribed here. The texture of the paper looks smooth, almost inviting to the touch. The deckled edge on the left is beautiful and hints at the handmade. It's easy to imagine the artist carefully selecting this paper, considering its weight and surface quality, thinking about how it would receive ink or graphite. I love the way the light falls across the spread, emphasizing the subtle variations in tone and texture. It almost feels like a Rothko, but instead of layers of pigment, it’s layers of possibility. This reminds me a little of Agnes Martin's subtle, minimalist grids. Like Martin, Stevns invites us to find the extraordinary in the ordinary, and reminds us that art can be about potential, about what could be, as much as what is.