Tidstavle over H.C. Andersens liv 1843-1828 1930 - 1938

This handwritten ledger by Niels Larsen Stevns is like a page ripped from a diary, or maybe notes for a biography. I can imagine him hunched over it, quill in hand, scratching out dates and events from the life of H.C. Andersen, a life already lived. There’s a real physicality to this – the brown of the paper, the dark ink bleeding slightly into its fibers. It’s not just information, it’s about the labor of writing, the hand moving across the page. Each stroke feels like a conscious decision. I see the care and attention, not just to record facts, but to honor the life of another artist through the act of transcription. Stevns, born later in the 19th century, was part of a community of artists who looked to literature and history for inspiration, just as painters today look to Stevns. We're all in conversation, borrowing, reacting, and building on what came before.