Rammestudier og notater 1906

This sketchbook page is by Niels Larsen Stevns, made with graphite on paper sometime between 1864 and 1941. It’s all about how an artist jots down ideas, playing with form and space in a way that feels really intimate. The texture of the paper is visible, and the graphite has this soft, almost smudgy quality. Look at the frame studies, these little architectural details. The lines aren’t precise, and that’s what makes them so alive. It's like Stevns is thinking through drawing, letting the pencil wander and discover. I love how the graphite catches the light differently depending on the angle, creating depth. There are handwritten notes too, which just adds to the sense of a mind at work. It reminds me of sketches by Edvard Munch, that same interest in the raw, unedited thought. It shows how art is a constant conversation, always evolving.