Studier af sommerfugl 1864 - 1941

Niels Larsen Stevns made this study of butterflies with ink on paper, and it's kept at the SMK. The initial impression is light and airy, with the paper's texture adding an almost nostalgic feel. It's all about the process of looking and recording – a direct response to observing these delicate creatures. I'm drawn to the lower right butterfly, the one with the patterned wing. The ink is applied with such freedom and immediacy. The marks aren’t about perfection; they're about capturing the essence of movement, the fragility of the wings. It reminds me a little of the studies Leonardo Da Vinci would make in his notebooks. Both artists share that curiosity, that urge to understand and record the world around them. In the end, art is this ongoing conversation, always building upon what came before. There’s a beautiful ambiguity here; the butterflies are both present and fleeting, inviting us to reflect on the transient nature of beauty.