Studier af får 1864 - 1941

This study of sheep by Niels Larsen Stevns invites us into the artist’s private world of mark making, a space where observation meets imagination. The rapid, searching lines, laid down with what looks like graphite pencil, feel provisional, as if the image might shift or dissolve at any moment. I love the materiality of the page itself: its slight discoloration, its texture, and the way the paper fibers catch the light. The overlapping, almost chaotic, network of lines creates a sense of depth, suggesting woolly forms and the presence of multiple sheep clustered together. It’s like looking into a pen and trying to capture the restless energy of the flock. Look at the lower left corner of the page. Notice the darker, more concentrated marks that suggest the head of a sheep, the quality of line feels so confident. You can almost feel the animal’s weight and solidity, in contrast with the ephemeral nature of the marks elsewhere. Stevns’ sketches remind me of similar studies by Degas or Delacroix. They remind us that art is a process of inquiry rather than a fixed statement, a space where ambiguity and openness are embraced.