Rammestudier og notater 1906

This is a page of Rammestudier og notater, or frame studies and notes, by Niels Larsen Stevns. Looking at the page, I can imagine him trying to work through something about edges, both literally and conceptually. I love seeing how an artist works through an idea – like here, where we have a series of freehand sketches in graphite on grid paper. I bet he was thinking about how the frame could alter one's perception of the image, which is something I think about a lot when making my own paintings. Each mark shows a kind of searching. What is the right way of ending a picture? How can the edge become the place where the painting starts? It reminds me of a quote from Jasper Johns, who said, "Sometimes I see it and then paint it. Other times I paint it and then see it." I think Stevns would agree.