Studie af Egebjerg-krucifixet. Notater vedr. mål og farver 1919

Editor: This is Niels Larsen Stevns' "Studie af Egebjerg-krucifixet. Notater vedr. mål og farver," made in 1919 with ink on paper. It has a sort of detached, almost clinical feel to it. I’m curious, what draws your eye when you look at this drawing? Curator: Ah, yes. Detached, yet undeniably imbued with reverence. Imagine Stevns, standing before the Egebjerg crucifix, his mind swirling with not just artistic ambition, but the weight of centuries of belief. Look at the almost frantic energy in the lines; they are trying to capture more than just form. I suspect he's grappling with the very essence of faith, maybe his own relationship with it. Does that strike a chord with you at all? Editor: Absolutely! I see the... conflict in the linework. Like he's trying to pin down something elusive. Were studies like these typical of artists at the time? Curator: Indeed. The early 20th century saw artists revisiting traditional religious subjects, not always out of piety, but with fresh eyes, searching for new ways to express timeless human themes. What emotions do the fragmented notations scattered around the sketch evoke for you? Almost like whispers from the past, don't you think? Editor: Definitely. It gives you the sense of witnessing his process, like you’re peering over his shoulder as he studies it. Curator: Exactly. It's as though we are stepping into the artist's thought process itself. I initially found it curious; now it reads as intentionally baring, as if he needs to understand every fiber of the construction of the crucifixion. I must now ask if perhaps this is a part of a prayer in the language that he knows, the artistic practice itself. What have you personally learned by investigating the work? Editor: I hadn’t really considered it from a religious perspective. Looking at the image as a whole, I see it less clinically now, and appreciate the humanistic intention and approach. Curator: Wonderful. And perhaps, it’s the most sincere way one can truly and artfully pray.