Udkast til "H.C. Andersen og Baronessen i Thorvaldsens Atelier paa Nysø" 1937 - 1938

Niels Larsen Stevns made this graphite sketch, Udkast til "H.C. Andersen og Baronessen i Thorvaldsens Atelier paa Nysø", presumably as a study for a painting. Look at the rapid, searching lines—you can almost feel him working out the composition, figuring out the relationship between the figures and the space. I wonder what Stevns was thinking about as he quickly laid down these marks. Was he interested in the way the light fell in the room? Or the way the Baroness’s dress folds? Notice how the lines are thicker and darker in some areas, almost like he was pressing harder, trying to capture a certain detail or feeling. I wonder if he was ever satisfied with how it turned out? The best artists are always looking, always learning from each other. They are trying to create a sense of place, of feeling, with just a few marks on paper. The way he’s sketched the figures reminds me a little bit of Daumier. It’s like they’re all part of this big conversation, spanning across time and space.