Skitse af trane 1900 - 1905

Niels Larsen Stevns made this sketch of a crane with graphite on paper, but when? It is hard to say. What hits me first is the economy of line. Stevns captures the essence of the crane with such simple marks, but the shading on the body is so full of energy. It reminds me that drawing is really about seeing, feeling, and responding. The texture of the paper and the visible lines of the notebook give the sketch a raw, immediate feel. You can almost see the artist's hand moving across the page, testing, finding the form. The way the lines coalesce to define the bird’s form is really satisfying, it suggests a kind of calligraphic approach to seeing and describing, and the way the lines have been built up in places has an unexpected weight and depth, given how seemingly ephemeral the image is as a whole. It recalls the drawings of Odilon Redon, where simple lines evoke complex emotions and forms, but Stevns' crane has a directness, an unpretentious quality that is all its own. It’s a reminder that art is an ongoing conversation, each artist responding to those who came before, and adding their own voice to the mix.