Zittend meisje met een muts c. 1895

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing of a seated girl with a bonnet, using graphite on paper. The artist sketched the girl using simple materials, and it’s the material that gives the artwork its immediacy and intimacy. The softness of the graphite allows the artist to create tonal variation, and to quickly capture the image. Cachet uses hatching and cross-hatching to add depth and shadow, particularly around the girl's face and clothing. These techniques create a sense of volume in what would otherwise be a flat image. The paper is textured, adding another dimension to the work, and the lines are not precise, reflecting the spontaneity of the artist's hand, with the simple tools allowing for an unmediated transfer of thought to paper. This artwork is a reminder that simple materials, and the hand of a skilled artist, can create something beautiful and expressive. It challenges the idea that art must be made from precious materials, and invites us to see the beauty in the everyday.