Ontwerp voor wapenschild voor Fock 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this coat of arms design on paper, but there’s no date on it, so it’s hard to know when. What I like about this drawing is the way that the hand of the artist is so present. You can see the process in the build up of marks, the initial sketch is visible beneath the darker ink of the finished design. The texture of the paper also plays a part. It’s a simple sketch, but there's a realness to it. It feels immediate, like it was just made. Look at the way the leaves on the left are so detailed. They are rendered in thick black ink, giving them a real weight and presence. Then, contrast that with the lighter, sketchier rendering of the tree on the right. There’s a sense of playfulness, of experimentation, and of two halves coming together to make a whole. I love the tree with the tiny, teardrop leaves, it’s like a minimalist version of Klimt. This piece reminds me of the work of Philip Guston, who similarly embraced a raw, expressive style in his later work. It's this sense of honesty and directness that I find so compelling.