Ontwerp voor een bord met een tuingezicht 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this design for a plate with a garden view, using watercolor, pen and graphite. There’s a real sense of process here, the way he’s built up the image with layers of translucent washes. It’s all in blue, but there's so much variation in the tone, from the pale sky to the darker foliage. Look at how he's used the watery consistency of the watercolor to suggest the play of light on the trees, or the reflections on the pond. There’s a freedom in the way Cachet applies the washes, and a looseness of touch to the penmanship, that gives the image a sense of movement and life. The whole thing feels like a fleeting impression, a memory of a garden glimpsed through a window. This piece shares a sensibility with Whistler's watercolors – the same kind of quiet observation, and an interest in capturing a mood or atmosphere. It suggests art is less about the subject, and more about feeling.