Mannenkop, gezicht van een vrouw en een hand c. 1895 - 1900

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing, ‘Mannenkop, gezicht van een vrouw en een hand’, with a pencil on paper. The quick, sparse lines and somewhat grotesque imagery suggest a culture of experimentation, similar to that of the German Expressionists, active at the time. There seems to be little interest in the strict academic training still taught at the art schools. The Rijksmuseum, where this drawing is housed, was founded in 1800 and, throughout the 19th century, acquired Dutch masters, decorative art, and Asian art. At this time, art education was tied to institutions such as the Rijks, with a focus on historical styles. As such, the artist’s style might be read as a reaction against these conservative institutions. To understand this piece fully, we might look at the artist’s place in the development of modern art. A social and institutional history of art can help us to think about the place of art in society.