Decoratief ontwerp 1874 - 1945

This pencil drawing called 'Decoratief ontwerp' was made by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet sometime in his lifetime. I see such careful planning in the symmetrical layout, like a kaleidoscope of curvilinear forms. The graphite marks feel light and tentative, with an almost ghostly transparency. You can see the grid underneath that has been used to carefully construct the design. I imagine Cachet using a very sharp pencil, delicately building up the image with layers of fine lines. Notice the way the lines vary in thickness and pressure, creating a subtle sense of depth and shadow. I particularly love the way he has used this technique to describe the curling elements. These marks give the design a real sense of movement and vitality. It reminds me a bit of some of the process-based drawings of Sol Lewitt, which embrace a kind of open-endedness. This piece invites us to see the beauty in the unfinished, the potential in the process.