Interieur met een pianospelende man c. 1930

Editor: This pen drawing, "Interieur met een pianospelende man," circa 1930, by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, feels like a quick sketch, almost ephemeral. The linework is quite loose. What do you notice about it? Curator: The rapid, almost frantic, linework certainly conveys a sense of immediacy. Let's consider the material conditions of its creation. The choice of pen, the readily available paper, speaks to a specific type of artistic practice. Is it preparatory? Is it a fully realized work? And what does the subject matter, a man playing piano, tell us about bourgeois life in that era? It also prompts me to think about the role of sketching within academic artistic training during the period. Editor: That's interesting. It being a study makes sense. So you're focusing less on the individual depicted, and more on the act of creation itself? The means by which this image came into being, and what it communicates? Curator: Precisely! Think about the labour involved in producing art, even what appears to be a simple sketch. Consider the economics of artmaking: who had the time and resources to engage in leisure activities, like sketching interiors, in 1930s Europe? Even this "simple" pen and paper sketch points to broader material and social networks. Editor: So, the sketch acts as a kind of record or a document, almost? Curator: Exactly! The drawing’s meaning arises not only from what it depicts but from its mode of production and the social relations it reflects. It blurs boundaries by asking us to regard the drawing not only aesthetically, but also functionally, like a record. It challenges traditional notions about craft. Editor: I see... I originally just saw a quick sketch, but it’s also an artifact of artistic labour, and reflects the values of its time. Curator: And understanding the choices of material, and how accessible they are, and to whom, opens new perspectives into the cultural context.