Studies van fietsers en wandelaars 1874 - 1945

Here's a drawing, Studies van fietsers en wandelaars, by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet with ink on paper, in the collection of the Rijksmuseum. There’s a real sense of movement here, in the flow of the figures and the sketchy lines, and the energy of the ink as it hits the page. I can almost feel the artist making these marks, rapidly capturing what was in front of them. The simplicity of the drawing, the economy of line, feels very contemporary. You can see the influence of Japanese art and printmaking on Cachet, who was also a graphic designer and woodcut artist. The way he captures the essence of each figure with so few lines reminds me of Hokusai or Hiroshige, although he doesn't quite render the everyday with as much poetry. What Cachet's figures lack in grace, they make up for in energy and a shared humanity. These are just people, like us, trying to get somewhere. And that feels kind of timeless.