H. C. Andersens højre og venstre arm. Skitser til "Engen ved Nysø" 1930 - 1936

This is a pencil sketch of hands by Niels Larsen Stevns. It's probably from around the turn of the century, sketched directly into one of those bound sketchbooks. You know the type, with the slightly yellowed pages and the faint grid? I just love thinking about how these drawings come into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition. You can feel the artist working out the forms, trying different angles, and capturing the essence of a hand. The top hand, the way it's clenching something—maybe a writing tool, or a prop? What was Stevns thinking when he made this? I bet he was trying to capture a mood for a painting. I imagine him experimenting with ways to communicate feeling, intention, or meaning, through the hands alone. You know, artists are always in conversation with each other across time. It’s like we're all riffing on the same themes, inspiring one another's creativity. And this sketch? It's like a little peek into that ongoing dialogue.