Plantestudier, samt notater 1906 - 1910

Niels Larsen Stevns made this plant study with notes, using pen or pencil on paper. It’s all about process, right? Not precious, more like jotting down thoughts. The paper has aged to a warm off-white, almost like old parchment. The marks are straightforward; the artist’s captured leaves and stems with simple lines, but look closely and you'll see where the pencil’s been pressed harder, creating depth in the leaves, or just scratching lightly, barely there. It's this kind of delicate touch that makes the work sing. The artist is feeling their way through the subject, deciding which lines to commit to, and which to leave as suggestions. This piece has a kind of kinship with the early botanical drawings of someone like Leonardo, it reminds us that drawing is a way of thinking, of understanding the world through making marks. So next time you’re doodling in a notebook, remember you’re participating in a long conversation about art and the world around us.