Skitse 1900 - 1905

Editor: This is "Skitse," a pencil and graphite drawing on paper by Niels Larsen Stevns, created between 1900 and 1905. It feels incredibly raw and immediate – like catching a glimpse of the artist’s thought process. What do you make of all these interwoven lines? Curator: Ah, it’s a veritable spiderweb of the subconscious, isn't it? I see a mind grappling, searching for form in the chaos. The repeated lines aren't just marks, they're like echoes, possibilities explored and discarded. What do they whisper to you? Editor: They whisper about a process of becoming... things forming and un-forming, maybe? There’s no single defined object, but a collection of energetic marks. Does it remind you of anything in particular? Curator: Funny you ask! It calls to mind those moments when you’re half-asleep, drifting between realities, and your brain tries to make sense of the fuzzy edges of consciousness. Larsen Stevns, in his day, like many, was likely seeking an authentic means for conveying psychological or spiritual phenomena beyond traditional form. Does it succeed? Maybe that's for the beholder. It all makes me feel rather existential and human, don’t you think? Editor: I do, actually! It feels very intimate and relatable, seeing an artist’s inner landscape so bare. Like a conversation with himself, sketched out on paper. Curator: Precisely! Perhaps, that’s its strength. A chance for us to have a quiet chat with the artist, a century later, about the beautiful messiness of it all. Editor: Well, I know one thing – it certainly offers a perspective shift from much of what we view day to day! Thanks for sharing your point of view.