Skitser af et par fødder og køer. Desuden rids af storke 1900 - 1905

This sketchbook page, by Niels Larsen Stevns, captures feet, cows and storks in light graphite. I imagine the artist outdoors, perhaps in a field, quickly capturing these images in front of him. Look how the lines describing the feet are heavier, more insistent. You can almost feel the pressure of the pencil on the page, defining the shapes and contours, but elsewhere the marks are light, tentative – notations of things seen fleetingly. I love to think about what Stevns was thinking when he made these drawings. Was he just practicing? Or was he working out ideas for a larger composition? It reminds me of Guston’s late work, which also includes everyday images like shoes and clocks. Both artists make the mundane feel like something profound. It goes to show that all artists are in an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas, inspiring one another’s creativity across time.