Løse rids 1900 - 1905

Niels Larsen Stevns made these loose sketches sometime around the turn of the 20th century, probably in a notebook just like this one. Isn’t it interesting how these scribbled lines give us just enough information to conjure whole worlds? I love that the artist chose to use graph paper. The grid creates a tension between the freedom of the sketch and the rigidity of the page, so the figures feel like they are emerging, or maybe dissolving, into pure abstraction. Look how the lines vary in weight and pressure. Some are confident and assertive, defining a clear edge, while others are tentative and fleeting, suggesting movement or shadow. I think of other artists who use drawing to explore the threshold between representation and abstraction, like Cy Twombly, who used line in a similar way. Ultimately, these sketches remind us that art is not about capturing a fixed reality, but about embracing the fluidity of perception.