Modelstudier. Skitse til Slagelse-fresken "Den barmhjertige Samaritan" 1930 - 1936

Niels Larsen Stevns made this study for a fresco with ink on paper. There's something so immediate about seeing the bare bones of an idea, isn't there? This sketch, a flurry of black lines on off-white paper, feels like the artist is thinking right in front of us. The marks are so decisive, so economical, that they have a real confidence, not overworked at all. You can imagine Stevns’ pen dancing across the page. Look at how he defines the hands with just a few strokes. They are angular and expressive, full of potential energy, like an electrical schematic. The sketch reminds me of the gestural energy of Egon Schiele, the way a line can convey both form and feeling. Art is a constant conversation, each artist borrowing and building on the language of those who came before. And, like all good conversations, it's full of surprises and open to endless interpretations.