Portret van Joanna Hermine Lion Cachet-Cordes c. 1930

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this sketch of Joanna Hermine Lion Cachet-Cordes, date unknown, with pencil on paper. The lines in this portrait are like whispers, light and full of movement, almost floating, as though the image is about to dissolve. You can see how the artist started with a simple shape and then kept going back, adding layer upon layer, seeking the essence of the subject. It's so sympathetic, I think. Did he know her well? Was she a friend or lover? What was the occasion? I try to imagine him holding the paper, his hand moving quickly, trying to capture not just her likeness, but her spirit, maybe as a kind of intimate record. The quickness of the marks reminds me a little of Twombly, and the way the artist creates the space for our eye to wander around, filling in the blanks. There's so much to learn from artists looking at each other, echoing each other across time.