Studier af Odense Borger Compagni´s fane. Notater og farveangivelser 1930 - 1936

This is a page from a sketchbook, filled by Niels Larsen Stevns with studies for a flag. It’s all in pencil, lines jiggling with possibility. You can really see the artmaking process here. The page is filled with tentative lines, a flurry of marks searching for the right form. Some areas are densely worked, while others are left open, with just a few lines suggesting a shape or detail. The materiality is simple: graphite on paper. But the effect is rich, because you get a sense of the artist thinking through the image. See the way the lines build up to create a sense of depth and volume? It’s like watching an idea take shape right before your eyes. You know, this reminds me of sketches by Delacroix. There's a similar energy and freedom in the way he used line to capture movement and emotion. Both artists seem to understand that the sketch is not just a preliminary study, but a work of art in its own right, full of its own kind of raw beauty and honesty.