Skitser af dyr, bl.a. hyæner 1900 - 1905

Niels Larsen Stevns made these sketches of animals, including hyenas, in pencil, directly into a sketchbook. It's all about capturing movement, isn't it? The lines are tentative, searching, as if Stevns is trying to nail down the essence of these creatures. I love how you can almost feel the graphite on the page. The texture of the paper comes through; it's not trying to hide anything. Look at the hyena lounging on its back. It's a mass of scribbled lines, but those dark spots give it weight and form. Then there's that other hyena, a ghostly outline, barely there. It reminds me of Delacroix, his animal studies, that same energy and interest in capturing form in movement. It is interesting to see how Stevns embraces the unfinished, the fleeting moment, showing how art can be about the process, the exploration, rather than a fixed idea. It is a constant conversation across time.