Ontwerpen, mogelijk voor een dakconstructie c. 1930

Curator: This is a design sketch titled "Ontwerpen, mogelijk voor een dakconstructie," or "Designs, possibly for a roof construction," created around 1930 by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet. It’s part of the Rijksmuseum’s collection. Editor: My immediate thought is provisional; it has an appealing looseness. You can see the artist working through ideas on the page. There’s a rawness that’s quite engaging. Curator: Precisely! Note the interplay of geometric forms: cubes, diamonds, and variations on arches. There's a fascinating tension between the structured lines and the freehand sketching, an attempt to refine architectural possibilities on paper. Editor: And consider the material – the humble pencil on paper. This isn’t some grand pronouncement. It's an intimate exploration. It speaks of labor and the act of creating. Someone sat down and experimented, iterating until… what? The idea crystallized, or was abandoned? Curator: A key formal consideration is the use of shading. Look at how Cachet employs it to delineate the various planes and to add a degree of depth to what is, essentially, a flat surface. The shading serves a vital function. Editor: I’m drawn to the repetitive nature of the gesture. The same arc repeated, re-imagined. How many rejected sketches were made? How does this seemingly disposable ephemera eventually lead to the built structure? It poses questions about the creative process. Curator: It also engages in dialogue with architectural conventions of the time. This sketch possesses a unique, quirky quality. Cachet manages to present potentially rigid architectural concepts with a sense of playful exploration. Editor: Agreed. Seeing the artist’s process so bare makes the design accessible, reminding us of the hands and thought involved in constructing our world. Thank you, Curator, for highlighting those aspects of form and process. Curator: Thank you, Editor, your considerations about materiality bring an essential viewpoint.