Kompositionsudkast til Blichers novelle "Bettefanden", p. 129 - Bettefanden og Krushoved i Dybdalen. Afskrift fra samme l. 16-19 1932 - 1935

This ink sketch on paper is a composition draft by Niels Larsen Stevns for Blicher's novella, "Bettefanden." The artist is feeling his way through the image, trying to find it. It's all about the process here, about the act of trying to figure something out. Look at those scribbled lines filling the space. They’re not just background; they’re a kind of energy, a visual hum. The figures themselves are loosely defined, built from quick, confident strokes that suggest movement and form without getting bogged down in detail. See how the hats sit on the figures? It reminds me of other sketchbooks, like those by Delacroix, where you see an artist thinking with their hand, wrestling with the material to bring an idea into being. It's an ongoing conversation. The ambiguity is part of its charm.