Udkast til "Kristus velsigner de små børn" 1937 - 1938

This is a study in pen and ink by Niels Larsen Stevns, a draft for his painting "Christ Blessing the Children." It’s interesting, this process of getting to know a subject through drawing, and the drawing itself is really interesting. There’s this immediate, kinetic energy in the marks. See how the pen strokes are mostly straight and parallel, used to define the figures? But it's not really about outlining or filling in shapes. Instead, the drawing becomes about how the artist *felt* the scene, a way of moving and thinking. It’s like he's wrestling with the subject, not just copying it. Look at the figure of Christ, the way the lines sort of suggest his form. There is an incredible sense of life being breathed into this drawing, it feels urgent. For me this piece really speaks to the way in which art is less about the final product, and more about the journey, the engagement, and the messy, uncertain process of making. Think of Van Gogh’s drawings.