Lezende Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes 1943 - 1944

Here we have, Lezende Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes, a pencil drawing made in 1943 by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet. It is a study of his daughter reading, or at least that's what the title tells us! I love how economical the marks are, like the artist is mapping out the essential planes and volumes with the least possible effort. The shading around the head on the right has this beautiful density. You can almost feel the pressure of the pencil on the page. And the way the lines vary in thickness and direction gives the form a real sense of depth. It's so cool how such simple, almost casual marks can create such a convincing illusion. There is something very Hopper-esque about the scene, maybe it's the quiet solitude of the figure absorbed in her book. This makes me think of other artists like David Hockney, who are exploring the same themes of everyday life and personal experience in their work. It reminds me that art is an ongoing conversation, and that each artist is building on the ideas and techniques of those who came before.