Studier efter August Saabyes H.C. Andersen-skulptur i Kongens Have, København 1930 - 1938

This study of August Saabye's Hans Christian Andersen sculpture was drawn by Niels Larsen Stevns, we don't know exactly when, presumably in Copenhagen. The artist's hand moves quickly, looping and circling, trying to capture the essence of a form. These aren't precise representations, but rather, energetic attempts to understand the subject through the act of drawing. Look at how the lines build up to suggest the form of the sculpture, almost like a flurry of thoughts solidifying into an image. The paper itself, with its warm, aged tone, becomes part of the piece, adding a layer of history and texture. The marks feel immediate and raw. You can see a similar sense of searching and discovery in the work of Alberto Giacometti, where figures are built up through layers of tentative lines, always in process, never quite resolved. Art isn't about capturing a fixed reality, but about embracing the ongoing dialogue between the artist and the world.