Architectuurstudie 1905 - 1906

This architectural study was made by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, using a pencil on what looks like paper from a sketchbook. The image is a study of form and a reductive approach to representation. The lines are tentative, as if he is mapping out the shape of something that doesn’t quite yet exist. I find myself drawn to the simplicity of the gesture and the subtle variations in the line. The artist isn’t overly concerned with the accuracy of the drawing, or being too precise, but there is a focus on capturing the essence of the structure. I imagine Cachet standing in front of a building, quickly sketching the details that catch his eye. In this sketch, he distills the building to its basic components. This makes me think of Agnes Martin, or Sol LeWitt, in how they approached line and form as a way of breaking things down, to find a more elemental structure. All artists, in their own way, are looking for an essentialness.