Stevenson Lake 1944

This is "Stevenson Lake" by Birger Sandzén, a drawing on a sheet. It looks like he’s used simple graphic marks to create the scene, building up tone with many thin lines, all moving in generally the same direction. To me, that speaks to a particular way of working, where the artist is really involved in the process, mark after mark. If you look closely, you can see the texture of the paper coming through. The drawing isn’t trying to hide that, it's almost like the texture of the paper is another element in the composition. Notice how the sky is rendered with shorter, sketchier lines, as opposed to the longer lines used to depict the water. That contrast makes the sky seem lighter and more distant. The artist seems to be influenced by Van Gogh. You can see a similar approach to mark making in both artists' work, that sense of using line to build up form and texture. It’s a reminder that art is always a conversation, artists responding to and building on what came before, exploring new ways of seeing and feeling.