Architectuurstudie c. 1890

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this architectural study as a drawing. Cachet, who was from the Netherlands, lived through a period of intense social and cultural change in Europe. In this drawing, there are lines and circles, but it is difficult to make out any definite forms, or to say how the architectural forms are intended to be used. What is the function of architecture? Is it simply to create shelter, or is it to serve a larger cultural and symbolic purpose? Cachet’s architectural drawing may offer no answers, but it can lead us to consider the place of buildings in social life. The historian can look at plans, correspondence, financial records, and other such resources to learn about the people who inhabit and use these spaces. The meaning of art is always contingent on its social and institutional context.