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

Curator: This ink drawing is Niels Larsen Stevns' study for "Christ Blessing the Children," dating from 1937-38. The sketches show figures clustered around a central point, perhaps suggesting Jesus with the children. What is your first impression? Editor: Spare and full of nervous energy. Look at the way the lines repeat and build up shadows! Even in this initial concept, I feel a sense of reverent calm focused around those few central marks indicating the child. Curator: Given Stevns’ broader artistic commitments and social context, this representation—a holy scene shown through working-class bodies—carries a radical charge. Stevns uses familiar religious themes to valorize everyday life. How might the choice to focus on working-class subjects reshape traditional Christian symbolism here? Editor: It connects, certainly, to very early Christian art before its Roman formalization. I find that emphasis especially clear in how Stevns sketches figures simply. A direct link to a powerful narrative about spiritual equality resonates clearly through its minimalist aesthetic choices. He gets at that immediacy, which aligns well with liberation theology. Curator: Precisely. The sketch hints at tensions prevalent at the time, given the rise of global fascism and growing calls for social justice. Considering those stark social disparities, a scene depicting Jesus amongst working-class families challenges existing power structures. Editor: Absolutely. If we look closely at the gestures - especially at what seems to be an adult bending down towards a child - that creates a protective and almost intimate sphere. Visually, this hints at deeper psychological concepts about empathy. Stevns seems invested in humanizing an often dogmatic subject. Curator: Stevns indeed appears committed to depicting scenes that emphasize radical vulnerability and equality. Viewing his preliminary study here gives insight into those core themes. Editor: Looking at the raw simplicity of these lines lets one experience a kind of unmediated empathy, getting back to pure iconic forms, really.