Studier af fasaner 1864 - 1941

Here, in Studier af fasaner, we see a page from a sketchbook by Niels Larsen Stevns, filled with delicate pencil studies. What strikes me is how the artist uses line to capture the essence of these birds, it's all about process here, about seeing and recording. The marks are tentative, searching, the kind of lines you make when you're trying to understand the form of something, feeling your way around its edges. Look at the way Stevns captures the curve of a bird's back or the angle of its head with just a few strokes. It's as if he's not just drawing what he sees, but also the act of seeing itself. There is a raw immediacy to the work. This reminds me a little of Manet's sketches. Both artists share a concern with capturing the fleeting moments of everyday life, with finding beauty in the ordinary. They invite us to see the world with fresh eyes, to appreciate the beauty of a simple sketch. And that, to me, is what art is all about.