Landskab 1864 - 1941

Here we have a landscape drawn by Niels Larsen Stevns, probably with graphite on paper. Looking at this drawing, I’m reminded that even a sketch can be so complete. I love the way Larsen Stevns’ minimal marks create a world, a stand of trees perhaps, or a rock face, something vertical. The marks read almost like shorthand for a place, with the barest of means conjuring something spatial. Look at how he’s drawn the trees, or whatever they are. The lines run parallel, but they undulate slightly, giving them a kind of life. The squiggles at the bottom could be anything, roots, stones, water. There’s a really nice tension between the specificity of the marks and the ambiguity of the image. It makes me think of Guston's late work, where everything is reduced to these basic, almost cartoonish shapes, but somehow they still manage to convey a sense of depth and emotion. The magic of art, right?