Handwerkende Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes c. 1935 - 1940

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet drew this sketch of Handwerkende Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes on paper with pen and ink. Looking at these lines zipping and whirring around the page, I think about the artist's hand moving swiftly. Were they trying to capture a fleeting moment? A gesture? The way light fell on a face? I imagine Cachet, the pen dancing across the page, trying to pin down something ephemeral. Those scribbled lines, especially around the figure's face, feel so intimate, like a secret language between artist and subject. You know, it reminds me a little bit of some of Picasso's quick portraits, that same sense of capturing a likeness with just a few essential marks. It's like they're both trying to get to the heart of what they see, fast. In the end, painting is a conversation, artists responding to each other across time, each adding their own voice to the mix. And it’s never really "finished," is it? There is always something more to see, more to feel.