Man leunend op een stok bij een gemetselde muur 1895

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet created this drawing of a man leaning on a stick against a brick wall, using graphite on paper. It’s a quick study, capturing a moment, a mood. The lines are energetic, and the shading is used expressively, not just to describe form. Notice the way the graphite is applied, almost like a dry brush technique in painting. This gives the drawing a textured quality, as if the wall itself is rough and worn. The artist is less concerned with the details of the scene, than with capturing its essence. The bricks are simplified, and the man’s features are only suggested. Cachet engaged with the tradition of drawing as a means of exploration, of capturing ideas quickly and intuitively. The accessibility of graphite as a material is important here. It's a humble medium, but in the hands of a skilled artist, it can convey a great deal. The labor is in the seeing, the selecting, and the translating of that vision onto paper. It is a work that transcends any strict boundary between fine art and craft, valuing instead the skill and vision of the artist.