Kopi efter oldkristen mosaik, samt notater om farverne 1902 - 1905

Niels Larsen Stevns made this watercolour copy of an early Christian mosaic, with notes on the colours, on paper. Look at the way the colours are applied – thin washes, building up these complex geometric forms. You can really sense the process of artmaking here. The texture of the paper allows the colours to bleed and blend, giving the whole thing a kind of luminous quality. Notice the juxtaposition of the red, blue, and ochre, how they create a vibrant visual rhythm. The thinness of the paint is key, it's not about covering up, but letting the light through. See how some of the lines are not quite straight, the circles not quite perfect. It’s like the whole image is breathing. For me, the little rosette shapes are so charming. The piece reminds me of the work of Hilma af Klint in its use of geometric forms and spiritual symbolism. Like Klint, Stevns seems to be exploring something beyond the purely visual, a deeper connection to history. Ultimately, it's this sense of open-endedness, of art as a continuous dialogue across time, that makes it so compelling.