Handwerkende Joanne Lion Cachet-Cordes c. 1938

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing of Joanne Lion Cachet-Cordes with ink on paper. It’s like a quick thought jotted down, a fleeting moment captured with such immediacy, right? I can imagine him, pencil in hand, trying to catch her essence with a few swift strokes. Look at the loops and swirls, the hair piled up high, and the way she’s holding something in her hands. It is all so understated and so assured. Thinking about the way he simplifies her form and the setting, I wonder what he was thinking about when he was drawing. Maybe this was just a warm-up sketch, or a way of marking time. Maybe the artist has been influenced by Japanese calligraphy, which would have been quite hip at the time. He’s not trying to capture every detail, just the feeling of her presence. It's the kind of drawing that makes you want to pick up a pencil and try it yourself.