Studie af ørn 1864 - 1941

This sketch of an eagle was made by Niels Larsen Stevns, we don't know exactly when. Look closely and you can see the artist trying to capture the essence of this majestic bird. The pencil lines are tentative and searching, almost as if the artist is feeling his way around the form of the eagle, tracing its outline with his eyes and hand. It makes me think of the times I’ve sat with a sketchbook, trying to nail the curve of a figure or the way light hits an object. There is something about the act of drawing, isn't there? You look deeply and try to distill what you see into a few simple marks. I imagine Stevns studying the eagle, trying to understand its anatomy, its power, its grace. It's a fascinating and intimate encounter between artist and subject. The drawing isn’t just a representation, it's a record of the artist's looking, thinking, and feeling. Isn't that what art is all about?