Portretkoppen van Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes c. 1935 - 1940

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing of Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes, probably with graphite, on paper. It is quick, immediate, and a little bit tentative; you can almost feel him circling and searching for the form. I wonder, was she sitting across from him? Was she impatient? Did she move a lot? He's working fast, trying to nail it down. As an artist, I feel for him. It's hard to capture someone's likeness! Look at the scribbled lines creating layers of shadow, the barely-there wisps defining the contours of her face and hair. Each stroke is an attempt to understand her, to translate her presence onto paper. It reminds me of other drawings by artists like Philip Guston, where the act of searching becomes as important as the final image. And that's what artmaking is all about, right? A visual conversation across time, as we are all inspired by those who came before us.