Modelstudier. Skitse til Slagelse-fresken "Den barmhjertige Samaritan" 1930 - 1936

This sketch by Niels Larsen Stevns is a world of black lines on off-white paper, a flurry of marks. I imagine him sitting with his sketchbook, rapidly capturing the essence of the model before him, trying to figure out the way to make a larger fresco. You can see him thinking through the process, not just the physical form of the model, but the abstract qualities of shape, line, and tone. The repeated marks create a kind of vibrating energy that feels very alive. It's like he’s building up the form, layer by layer, searching for the right combination of lines to evoke volume and depth. I feel like he's speaking to me, a fellow artist, saying: "Here's how I work through a problem. How do you do it?" There’s something so generous about that invitation. It reminds me of so many other artists who came before and after, all sharing this common language of mark-making, continually building on and responding to each other's efforts.