Studier af heste 1864 - 1941

Curator: This sheet of studies by Niels Larsen Stevns, likely executed between 1864 and 1941, offers a glimpse into the artist’s process. These are quick pencil sketches of horses, held at the SMK, the National Gallery of Denmark. What’s your initial take? Editor: Energetic and fragmented! There’s a wonderful immediacy to the lines, conveying the horses’ form, though in a quite cursory fashion. The pencil is expressive. Curator: Indeed. Stevns was a significant figure in Danish art. It is likely he drew this in preparation for a painting. He lived during a time when artistic conventions were evolving, and artists increasingly focused on capturing movement and naturalism. We're able to see him actively experimenting with form and proportion here. Horses were commonly associated with power, war, or agrarian labor in visual culture. Editor: The use of pencil allows for a delicate gradations and detailed studies in tonality, from quite light shades that barely grace the paper to heavy concentrations of strokes where modelling and shadows describe form. Notice how Stevns uses hatching to give volume to the bodies. Curator: The political undertones and uses of these animal depictions also can not be overlooked, and certainly contribute to an art historical narrative, beyond technique or aesthetic impressions. I do love how informal the sketch feels. This sketchbook is such an unmediated insight into the creative process. The accessibility to view allows the museum-going public a chance to think through the artist’s hand and mind, to connect more to the painting on a more individualistic experience. Editor: For me, the charm lies in its imperfections. The sketchy quality makes them feel incredibly alive, far from sterile or finished artwork. It speaks to the ephemeral nature of observation. A lovely sheet. Curator: Yes, these rapid pencil sketches speak to both the legacy and development of equine illustration through realism. They capture an immediate vision of this subject as it plays within society, perhaps preparing an image of an everyday reality to share with others.