Patrijspoort en een leuning c. 1906

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing, Patrijspoort en een leuning, with a pencil. I imagine Cachet working quickly, capturing the bare bones of these architectural elements, a porthole and banister rail. It looks like he was interested in working out the structure. The circle of the porthole is precise with its neat spokes and hand-written measurements, while the sweeping curve of the rail suggests a completely different sensibility – intuitive, free, and expressive. What was he thinking when he drew this? Maybe he saw the beauty of the circle and the organic curve playing off each other. Or maybe it was pure practicality, just trying to get the proportions right. I bet that even in this simple sketch, he saw a conversation happening between the forms, a dance between the mechanical and the handmade. That’s what artists do; we see potential everywhere.