Studie af ask 1906 - 1910

This is a pencil drawing by Niels Larsen Stevns, called 'Studie af ask', which I think means 'Study of Ash', as in, the tree. You know, I love drawings like this. It's a study, so it's not trying to be too perfect or finished. You can see the artist working through the shapes and forms of the leaves and branches, trying to figure out how they fit together, how the light falls on them. Look closely, and you can see where Stevns has gone over a line again and again, searching for the right one. There’s this tentative quality to it that feels really intimate. It's like catching a glimpse of the artist's thought process, you know? It reminds me that drawing and painting is all about looking, really looking, and trying to understand what you're seeing. Stevns is in conversation with a long history of artists who have done the same, each one finding something new and personal in the process.