Bloemstudie 1874 - 1945

This flower study was made by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, though the exact date is unknown, using graphite and possibly another medium. You can see how the process of artmaking is not just about rendering the form of a flower, but about exploring different ways of seeing and representing it. Looking closely, the texture and surface reveal the physicality of the medium. The graphite is applied with varying pressure, creating depth. The strokes around the flowers give it a shadowy halo. See how the artist used a combination of techniques, with some areas densely worked and others left almost untouched, allowing the paper to breathe. It makes me think about how we create form through mark-making. Cachet's approach reminds me a little of Odilon Redon, especially his charcoal drawings, in its dreamlike quality and emphasis on tone. But where Redon is more ethereal, Cachet is grounded, more interested in the material reality of the flower itself. In the end, art is an ongoing conversation across time.