Skitser af køer og aber 1900 - 1905

This sketchbook page with cows and monkeys was made by Niels Larsen Stevns, though the date is unknown. Look at the way the artist uses the pencil line to explore the shapes, mass and essence of the animals. The lines are so fluid, aren't they? Loose and free, exploring the possibilities of form. Some areas are densely worked, a jumble of lines describing shadow and volume. Elsewhere they are sparse, just a few marks suggesting a curve or a contour, a fleeting idea. Notice the repetition of motifs, the cows and monkeys emerging and dissolving across the page. Each mark is like a thought, a question, a tentative answer in an ongoing conversation. The texture of the paper adds a layer of warmth, the grain showing through the graphite. The way Larsen Stevns works reminds me of Delacroix's animal studies: both are so attuned to movement and energy, and open to the chance encounter of discovery. Ultimately, the ambiguity is what makes it so interesting, so alive, don't you think?