Fantasieornamenten, ornamenten met dieren en architectuurstudies c. 1925

This page of ornament designs with animals and architectural studies was made by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, probably with graphite, sometime in the late 19th or early 20th century. What I love about this sheet is seeing how Lion Cachet uses the grid to organize his ideas. The graph paper becomes a structure for him to explore variations on a theme. Look at how the lines wiggle and curve, always contained by the rectangles and triangles he's drawn. I think it's interesting how, even within such a structured format, he finds room for play. You could almost imagine these ornaments coming alive, the animals leaping off the page. It reminds me of Hilma af Klint, who used geometric structures for these wild, imaginative ideas. Art is always a conversation, right?