Twee vrouwen c. 1930

Curator: On display here is a drawing by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, "Two Women," dating from around 1930, a modern pen and ink sketch currently held at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It looks like an experimental doodle. Loose, flowing lines, almost weightless... yet, it's captivating, isn't it? Raw. Curator: Cachet came from a background deeply embedded in colonial mercantile society. His journey toward becoming an artist speaks volumes. What do you mean by raw? Editor: The hurried quality of the lines! Notice how the artist captures the essence of form with minimal strokes? See where the pen never leaves the page, looping back? This emphasizes the volume of the hat on the right figure. There's confidence in that gesture. Curator: Cachet's portraits of women, particularly those connected to Indonesian society, often present a very deliberate projection. While this sketch captures movement, he lived and worked between cultures. It's essential to remember the social context of Dutch colonialism that influenced his approach. How might those ideas affect the work or what he could freely represent in the gaze of a fellow colonial subject, or in this case, two possible models. Editor: A colonial subject's perspective undoubtedly impacts this art. How might his work contribute or react against accepted aesthetics or artistic styles of his era. Do you find references to symbolism here? Curator: Hard to ignore how Cachet and his contemporary artists broke traditional modes of depiction to re-negotiate the perception of representation itself. It is fascinating. Thanks for that insightful conversation. Editor: A pleasure. I'm seeing the relationship between Cachet and social dynamics more clearly now.