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

Niels Larsen Stevns made this pencil sketch, "Draft for 'Christ Blessing the Little Children'," part of his exploration of religious themes. Made in Denmark, it’s helpful to understand the religious and social context in which Stevns was working. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw shifts in religious thought and a growing interest in social reform. Stevns, deeply religious, often focused on biblical stories, interpreting them through a lens of humanism and social concern. How might Stevns have viewed religious institutions? Was he interested in democratizing access to religious experience through his art? To answer that, we look to the Nordic artistic and intellectual circles, where debates about faith, modernity, and social justice were frequent. Examining sketches like this alongside his finished works and writings gives us insight into the artist’s social vision.