Udkast til "Kristus helbreder en spedalsk" 1937 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made this study for “Christ Healing a Leper” with pen on paper. You know, there's something about seeing an artist's sketch that feels like getting a secret peek into their thought process. Here, the lines aren’t precious. They’re quick, a bit scratchy, almost like he’s feeling his way through the shapes and forms. There’s a beautiful economy to the mark-making, the minimum needed to convey the maximum of meaning. Look at how he uses hatching – those parallel lines – to build up the shadows and give weight to the figures. It’s like he’s sculpting with ink. This piece reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz's drawings, where every line is full of emotion and social commentary. Both artists use line in a similar way to give shape to human suffering. Ultimately, art is a conversation, a way of seeing and feeling that gets passed down and transformed.