Studier af ornamenter og rammeprofiler 1919

This page of sketches, by Niels Larsen Stevns, is a collection of ornament and frame profiles, and is made with pencil. The lines are tentative, searching, and that's what I like about it. There's a real sense of process here, of the artist working through ideas. The texture of the paper is visible, and the pencil marks vary in darkness and pressure, giving the drawings a real sense of depth. There's one sketch, in the middle, of leaves in a geometric pattern. They remind me of Matisse cut outs, but also feel like they are pulled from an ancient frieze, or decorative Bronze age moulding. It makes me think about the way that artists borrow from each other, how ideas evolve over time. It suggests that art is an ongoing conversation, and that each artist is building on the work of those who came before.