Bloemstudie 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this Bloemstudie, or flower study, using brush and ink and watercolour. Cachet was a Dutch artist working in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a period in which artists across Europe and the United States were turning away from the established traditions of academic art. The simplified forms and bold outlines of these flowers suggest the influence of Japanese prints, which were hugely popular at the time. Cachet was associated with the Arts and Crafts movement, which emphasized handmade objects and celebrated the beauty of the natural world. His work often featured floral motifs and demonstrated an interest in surface design. Cachet was keenly interested in the applied arts and saw no divide between the fine arts and the decorative arts. To understand Cachet's work more fully, we might consult exhibition reviews or study the artist's involvement with design reform movements. That helps to understand how such an image can be both a study of nature and a commentary on the social role of the artist.