Zuil met een bol op een sokkel c. 1930

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this sketch of a column with a sphere on a plinth, we don't know exactly when, but we do know it was made using graphite on paper. It's a free and loose study, a delicate dance of lines really, and you can almost feel the artist feeling his way around the form. The column itself is all straight lines, solid, but then that sphere on top, it's like a scribble, a burst of energy. Look at the way the lines come together, they’re almost chaotic, like he's trying to capture something that's constantly moving. And then there’s that other circle, the one that sits alone. What’s that about? Is it another study of the sphere? Or a stray idea? It’s like Cachet is in conversation with himself, trying out different ways of seeing. It reminds me of Picasso’s early sketches, where you can see him working through ideas, letting the process lead the way. Art’s a language, right? A way of thinking out loud.