Skitse af bygning og løse rids 1906

This is a sketchbook page of loose pencil sketches by Niels Larsen Stevns. It looks like he’s just feeling his way around the page, letting one form lead to another. I love how the light pencil marks sit on the grid, like he’s mapping out not just a building, but an idea. The bottom sketch, all tangled and scribbled, is so intriguing! It reminds me of Philip Guston’s late work, where everything is a little clumsy, a little unsure, but full of feeling. The beauty of a sketchbook is that it captures the artist's thought process, that moment of discovery. You can almost feel Stevns’ hand moving across the page, searching, experimenting, not afraid to make a mess. It's like a conversation he's having with himself and with the world around him. And that, to me, is what art is all about.