Skitser af løver og udkast til Kristushoved 1900 - 1905

This sketch by Niels Larsen Stevns is a really interesting glimpse into the artist’s process, all these lion sketches and the study of a head of Christ just hovering on the page. It’s all about the lines, really, the scratchy, searching quality of the pencil. You can almost feel him figuring things out as he goes. And then there's this head, rendered with thin watercolor washes, like he’s building it up bit by bit. The paint is so transparent, it barely covers the page. The face seems to emerge from the paper itself. Look at those radial lines emanating from the head. Is it the sun? Is it divine light? It reminds me of some of the early sketches of Delacroix, that same intensity of looking, and trying to capture something fleeting and ephemeral. Sketches like this remind us that art isn't about perfect representation. It’s a conversation, with the subject, with yourself, with the history of art itself.