Ontwerp voor een stoel 1874 - 1945

Curator: Today we’re looking at “Ontwerp voor een stoel,” or “Design for a chair,” a mixed-media drawing by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, likely created between 1874 and 1945. It's held here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: My initial feeling? Delicate... but a bit ghostly. It reminds me of a chair glimpsed through a fog. The stark black ink drawing jumps out from a series of much fainter pencil sketches. Curator: I see that too. The strength of the primary design shows a clarity of vision typical of the Arts and Crafts movement, of which Cachet was a key member. Editor: Arts and Crafts... So much about democratizing design, making the everyday beautiful. You really feel that emphasis on both form and function here. The paper itself speaks to its own history too. It's a simple ground that shows how design touches every strata of life, even where you sit! Curator: Exactly. It emphasizes utility while embracing decoration. Look at the details within the back of the chair - that almost organic floral design juxtaposed with the rigid geometric structure of the overall piece. It makes one question our relationship with comfort. Editor: Yes, how simple is enough? Or rather, what does craft bring to something basic? I'm drawn to those other sketched forms in the background, ideas discarded or revisited. Makes you think of the labour embedded, doesn’t it? I wonder about the workshop where this came to life. Curator: I think for Cachet it was likely a deep spiritual investigation—he came from a family of preachers. The act of creation wasn’t just labor, but an attempt to reconcile nature and industry. It echoes the themes found in much of his work from this period. Editor: Fascinating! I never thought a chair design could evoke such existential musings! Curator: Indeed. Next time you sit down, remember that even the most humble object holds a story. Editor: Well put! This simple chair has made me reconsider the stuff all around me, and maybe give an artist, designer, or maker a bit more credit.