Plantestudier 1906 - 1910

Niels Larsen Stevns made this plant study in Denmark using pencil on paper. Produced in an academic setting, this kind of study would have been part of a broader institutional focus on the close observation of nature, seeking to bring scientific rigor to the artistic practice. The study is about the rendering of form and texture, but it’s also about the cultivation of a certain kind of seeing. It’s important to remember that this wasn’t just about accurately depicting botanical forms; it was part of a larger cultural project of understanding and controlling the natural world. The Danish landscape and its flora were deeply intertwined with national identity, especially in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. If we want to really understand Stevns’ artistic choices, we need to look at how he and his contemporaries were taught, what they were expected to achieve, and what role art was expected to play in Danish society.