Studie af amfora 1919

This study of an amphora was made by Niels Larsen Stevns, probably in a sketchbook. It looks like the artist was trying to find the form of this classical vase. I love how you can see the thinking in the lines. The artist used simple pencil strokes to explore the shape and decoration of the amphora. You can see the ghost of each line, which tells us that this is about the process of looking and seeing. See how the artist has rendered some of the amphora’s decorations with quick, shorthand marks? This evokes the way memory and observation combine when you're trying to grasp an object's essence. Notice the figure next to the amphora, also just quickly described. This piece reminds me of Cy Twombly’s drawings, where the act of mark-making becomes a dance between intention and accident. Art isn’t about capturing a single, perfect image. Instead, it can be about embracing ambiguity, celebrating the messy, ongoing dialogue between the artist and the world.