Skitse af engel 1900 - 1905

This is a pencil sketch of an angel by Niels Larsen Stevns, part of the collection at the Statens Museum for Kunst. Although undated, we can place Stevns within a late 19th and early 20th century Danish cultural context dominated by Christian belief and institutions. Angels were, and perhaps remain, potent cultural symbols, often used to deliver moral messages. Looking at the sketch, we see what appears to be an unfinished, upside-down figure. The lines are tentative, as if the artist is working out the form. Does the angel appear to be falling, or rising? Is it androgynous? What might these stylistic choices suggest? Was Stevns challenging existing social norms, or seeking to reaffirm them? To better understand this sketch, we can consult not only the museum’s records, but also Stevns’ other works, the artistic environment in which he operated, and the broader religious context of Denmark at the time. The meaning of this art is always contingent on its historical and institutional surrounding.