Architectuurstudies c. 1906

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this architectural study with graphite on paper, and you can see how the process of drawing itself becomes a kind of architecture. The marks here are exploratory; the lines feel provisional, like he’s thinking through the structure as he draws. Look at the way he’s layered lines to suggest depth and form. It’s not about precision, but about capturing an essence, a feeling of space. There's a kind of vulnerability in the openness of the composition, the way the lines are exposed, not quite resolved. The texture of the paper, the slight smudges of the graphite, all contribute to this sense of immediacy. It reminds me a bit of Piranesi’s architectural fantasies, but with a quieter, more intimate feel. It's as if Cachet is inviting us into his thought process, showing us how he builds a world, line by line. This piece is an invitation to see the world, not as a fixed reality, but as something constantly being constructed, imagined, and re-imagined.