Handtekeningenblad ter gelegenheid van het vijfentwintigjarig jubileum van de N.V. Philips Gloeilampenfabrieken 1916

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this commemorative sheet for the company Philips, in pen and ink. The design is all lines, and the controlled nature of the ink work gives it a precision, but at the same time it’s got these little, quirky irregularities, like a handmade font. I mean, what is this border? A puzzle? A diagram for assembling…something? It’s like a bunch of little robots holding hands. The ink is brown, almost sepia, and the paper has aged, giving it an antique feel. You can see the signatures, each with its own little flourish. It’s clear that the design has a graphic sensibility, but still feels really personal. It’s almost like a very formal doodle, which makes me think about the work of Paul Klee. Like Klee, Cachet embraces the power of the line, and the way the simplest mark can be full of meaning. It reminds me that art isn’t always about answers, but sometimes just a record of someone playing around with ideas.