Studier af blomster med ats- og farveangivelser 1919

This is a sketch of flowers with color notations made by Niels Larsen Stevns. It's a working drawing, and you can feel the artist working, right? I think it’s interesting when artists include the process of their own looking. It’s not just the flower, but the artist thinking about the flower. It’s like they’re saying, hey, I’m here too, I'm working this out. Look how the artist uses line to explore the forms and volumes of the flowers. It’s not just a contour line, it’s a searching, active line that goes this way and that. And the color notations, those are like little whispers, secrets about the flowers that only the artist knows. It makes you want to grab your own pencil and start drawing, doesn't it? These kinds of studies remind us that art isn't just about the final, polished product, but also about the messy, beautiful act of looking and learning.