Studier af heste 1864 - 1941

This page of horse studies is from a sketchbook by Niels Larsen Stevns. The quickly rendered graphite lines capture the fluid movement and anatomy of horses. Stevns elegantly reduces each horse to its essential form, focusing on dynamic lines to indicate musculature and posture. Look at the interplay of positive and negative space around each figure. The composition is not about realistic representation, but more about conveying motion and energy. Each sketch seems to capture a fleeting moment, like a snapshot of movement frozen in time. The artist is exploring the essence of form and motion. We can see the horse not just as a physical being, but as a study in dynamic form. Stevns invites us to appreciate the aesthetic qualities inherent in the lines themselves and the suggestion of depth and movement within this two-dimensional space. Through these sketches, Stevns challenges our understanding of how form can convey motion.