Studier af trækroner 1930 - 1936

This pencil sketch, "Studier af trækroner" or "Studies of Tree Crowns," was made by Niels Larsen Stevns, we don't know exactly when. What I love about it is the way the network of lines forms a kind of inner structure for the tree. Look at how the marks layer up, especially in the trunk – there’s this cross-hatching that gives it a real density, like you could almost feel the weight of the tree. Then, higher up, the lines get lighter and looser. See those flicks and curls towards the top? They map out the leaves, not in a precise way, but more like a feeling of how they reach for the light. The whole thing reminds me of Cézanne, who was also interested in the architecture of nature, but in a much freer way. It’s like Stevns is sketching out not just what he sees, but how he understands a tree to be.