Studieblad, onder andere met zittende mannen en geometrische motieven c. 1905

This is a sketchbook page with graphite drawings by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, at the Rijksmuseum. It's all about process here. It's such a simple medium, pencil on paper, but it opens up this whole world of exploration. I find myself drawn to the geometric motifs, these building block shapes. It’s like a child’s construction set, but rendered with such delicacy. They remind me of architectural details, or maybe even textile designs. I can imagine Cachet playing with these forms, turning them this way and that, seeing what possibilities emerge. Then there are the figures, quickly sketched, almost dissolving into the page. The contrast between the precision of the geometric shapes and the fluidity of the figures creates a nice tension. It makes me think of artists like Philip Guston, who embraced a kind of messy freedom in his later work. This page feels like a moment of pure experimentation. A reminder that art is an ongoing conversation.