Figurskitser 1902 - 1905

Niels Larsen Stevns made this sketch, Figurskitser, sometime in his life with graphite on paper. You can see it's a torn scrap, not precious. More like a note. I love how the figures feel provisional, almost like thoughts forming. Look at the upper register, the heads and feet, just hanging there. So light, barely touching the paper. And the figures on the bottom, their outlines are tentative. It's all process, no product. The graphite is so delicate, almost like he’s breathing the figures onto the page rather than drawing them. The paper itself becomes part of the composition. It's stained and worn, like a found object. You could see these as studies for a larger work, but honestly, they feel complete as they are. Think of Goya's sketches, those intimate glimpses into his mind. There's a similar sense of immediacy and vulnerability here. Art is such an ongoing conversation, isn't it?