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

This preliminary sketch for “Christ Blessing the Children” was made by Niels Larsen Stevns, though the date is unknown. Look at how he's working out the composition, the hands, the figures. What interests me about this work is how the artist approaches the materiality of drawing. The thin, delicate lines seem to dance across the page, as if the artist is feeling his way through the subject matter. It's like he's thinking with his hand, letting the pencil lead him where it may. The lines have a life of their own. They seem to hover on the surface, not quite committing to any particular form. This gives the work a sense of lightness and openness, as if anything is possible. In a way, this sketch reminds me of the work of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also had a way of capturing the essence of her subjects with just a few simple lines. Like Modersohn-Becker, Stevns invites us to see the world with fresh eyes, to appreciate the beauty of the ordinary and to find meaning in the simplest of forms. Art is a conversation, and the dialogue continues.