Stevenson Lake 1944

Birger Sandzén made this drawing of Stevenson Lake with what looks like pen and ink. It’s a landscape, but it’s really about mark-making. The image emerges through this incredible accumulation of short, hatched lines. Look how he uses them to build up the forms of the rocks and the sky. It’s almost vibrating with energy. I wonder if he was standing outside trying to capture it all quickly, or if this was made later from memory. You know, drawing like this isn't just about recording what’s there. It’s about thinking, feeling, seeing. Every little stroke is a decision, an act of translation. It’s a physical process, too. You can almost feel the scratch of the pen on the paper as you look at it. Sandzén was part of a wave of painters who were looking at nature in a new way, trying to find something beyond just a pretty view. Artists like Van Gogh come to mind; you can see they’re trying to put something of themselves into the landscape. This constant exchange is what makes art so alive.