Figurskitse samt længere tekst 1904

This is a sketch, *Figurskitse samt længere tekst*, by Niels Larsen Stevns. It looks like it’s made with graphite on paper, a jumble of text and figures, a page from a notebook. The lines are quick, searching, like the artist is thinking out loud. You can almost feel the hand moving across the page, making and remaking the image. Notice how the figures are only loosely defined, it seems the artist is prioritising the act of drawing itself, valuing the thinking process over the end result. There’s a real sense of freedom in this, of not being afraid to make mistakes, to let the image emerge organically. Look at the top right, the artist has detailed five aspects of a bishop, it's playful and improvisational. It reminds me a bit of Philip Guston’s late work, that same sense of urgency and freedom. Both artists seem to be saying, "It's okay to be messy, to be imperfect, to be human." And that, to me, is what art is all about. It’s not about perfection, it’s about the messy, beautiful process of becoming.