Udkast til "Kristus velsigner de små børn" 1937 - 1938

This is a pencil sketch by Niels Larsen Stevns, a preliminary study for his painting "Christ Blessing the Children." The quick, energetic marks of the graphite on paper reveal the artist's process. It’s a rapid capture of form and composition, a vital step in translating a concept into a finished piece. The sketch is raw, capturing the immediacy of the artist's vision. The choice of pencil is telling. It's a humble, accessible material, allowing for spontaneity and revision. It also speaks to the amount of work involved in the production process, and the politics of sketching as a working process to complete the final artwork. By focusing on the materiality and making of this sketch, we can better understand the artist's working methods and appreciate the labor involved in creating a work of art. It also challenges the traditional hierarchy between sketch and finished painting, inviting us to see the beauty and significance in the process itself.