Decoratief ontwerp 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this design on paper with brush and paint; it’s now here in the Rijksmuseum. There's a big black shape taking centre stage, surrounded by an ornamental border. I imagine Cachet starting with the outline, feeling the weight of the brush in his hand. I’m thinking about the push and pull between control and chance, and how the artist probably had to surrender to the unpredictable flow of the ink. The olive-mustard squiggles around the frame look like they're having a private party, maybe something floral, maybe something else entirely; this is what painting can do, set up a whole conversation between marks. Those curvy gestures are like the painter’s signature, aren't they? I feel like I can almost see the artist's hand moving across the paper. Painters are always chatting to each other across time. It's exciting, this process of painting and seeing and thinking.