Skitser af køer og aber 1900 - 1905

This study of cows and apes was composed using graphite on paper by Niels Larsen Stevns. I love seeing a page of studies like this. You can really feel the artist working through something, trying to capture the essence of the animals with a few, economical marks. Look at the confident lines that define the monkey’s form! The artist is searching, feeling, and thinking through the process of drawing. I wonder what Stevns was thinking when he made these sketches. Was he interested in the formal qualities of the animals, or was he trying to capture something more essential about their nature? The texture of the paper and the varying pressure of the graphite create a sense of depth and movement. There’s a real conversation happening between Stevns and the great masters who came before him – and it is a conversation that continues to this day! The ongoing dialogue inspires artists like me to keep exploring and experimenting with new ways of seeing the world.