Udkast til "Kristus velsigner de små børn" 1937 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made this drawing, a study for "Christ Blessing the Little Children," on paper, using what looks like a blue crayon or pencil. You can see the artist thinking, working through the composition, searching for the right arrangement. It's like watching someone solve a puzzle. I love how the crayon is used here; it's so immediate, you can feel the pressure of the artist's hand. The lines are scratchy and uneven, full of energy. There's a real sense of the artist working on the page, wrestling with the idea. Look at the way he's drawn the figures, these little scribbles that suggest form without really defining it. It's almost abstract, but then you see the figures and it all comes together. I think this kind of directness is so refreshing, and it lets you connect with the artist's thought process in a really intimate way. This reminds me a little of some of Daumier's drawings, in that he uses a similar economy of line to suggest both form and movement. Ultimately, it's that sense of openness and possibility that makes this sketch so compelling – a reminder that art is a process, not a product.