Figuurstudies 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made these ‘Figuurstudies’, or Figure Studies, using graphite. Although undated, Cachet was working during a period of intense social change and the rise of modernism. Here, we see glimpses of the artist's process, the marks and erasures visible on the page, and the figures only partially formed. The standing figure to the left is dressed in attire which signifies a traditional role for women of the time. A second ghostly figure appears next to her. Perhaps they were studies of figures for a larger composition, or simply explorations of form and identity. Cachet’s sketches embody a sense of longing. The figures, with their obscured faces and undefined presence, evoke a feeling of displacement and searching. This work seems to reflect the lived experiences and suppressed narratives of women during Cachet’s time. They invite us to contemplate the untold stories embedded within the seemingly ordinary.