Studie c. 1895 - 1900

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this study with pencil on paper, but its date is unknown. The scene appears to depict a group of people – perhaps a social gathering – but its context is somewhat mysterious. Cachet was a Dutch artist born in 1864, working at a time when the Netherlands, despite its colonial power, was struggling with internal social divisions and the rise of new political ideologies. The institutional history of Dutch art at the time saw a tension between traditional styles and the emerging modern movements. Was Cachet influenced by this tension, or does his sketch lean towards a critique of established artistic norms? Without more details, we can only speculate. Yet, as art historians, we have tools at our disposal. Archival research into Cachet’s life and works, coupled with an examination of the social and cultural history of the Netherlands during his time, might reveal more about the meaning and context of this drawing.