Plantestudier 1906 - 1910

Niels Larsen Stevns drew these plant studies with ink on paper. You can see him work out his thoughts, as though feeling his way through the shapes with the tip of his pen. I can imagine Niels sitting in a garden somewhere, sketchbook in hand, carefully observing the intricate details of the leaves and petals. He probably started with a light outline, then built up the form with layers of delicate lines, paying close attention to the way light and shadow play across the surface of the plant. I wonder if he was thinking about the fleeting nature of beauty and life. You can almost feel the plant swaying gently in the breeze. It reminds me a little of the botanical drawings of Maria Merian, or the way Van Gogh captured the energy of sunflowers with his restless brushstrokes. Artists are always in dialogue with each other, across time and space, finding new ways to express the beauty and mystery of the world around us.