Self-Portrait 1941

Niels Larsen Stevns' self-portrait at the SMK is a small oil sketch of a man looking back at you. It's all about the materiality of the paint, the way it's slapped on in these visible strokes. You can see the process, the artist thinking through the medium. It's interesting how he builds up the form with these short, choppy strokes. Take a look at the way the colors are layered in the face, the pinks and whites and blues creating a sense of volume and depth. The texture is almost sculptural. The marks are so present, so physical, that they convey the artist's energy. This reminds me a bit of Philip Guston's late work, with its emphasis on raw, unrefined brushwork and a kind of searching, open-ended quality. Both artists seem to be more interested in the act of painting itself than in creating a polished, finished product. Ultimately, art is a conversation across time and space, and this self-portrait invites us to join in.