Ontwerp voor een kansel c. 1905 - 1906

Editor: Here we have Carel Adolph Lion Cachet’s "Ontwerp voor een kansel", or "Design for a Pulpit", created around 1905-1906. It's a pencil drawing on paper. My first impression is of something very simple and understated – almost a whisper of an idea. What catches your eye? Curator: Well, the beautiful thing about sketches is their potential, isn't it? It's like catching a thought before it fully forms. The Art Nouveau lines hint at the ornate, but the starkness feels almost modern. Does it make you wonder what the finished piece would have looked like? Imagine this pulpit in a dimly lit church. The carved details catching the candlelight... What do you think about the geometric elements in this work, do they make the sketch more or less appealing to your aesthetic? Editor: It does make me wonder about the final design, and it really does give an interesting mix between religion and design. The geometric parts make it even more appealing, like the design process is literally exposed to the audience and part of the piece, or a puzzle piece being worked out, which is interesting. Curator: Precisely! And Cachet, though known for his decorative work, also dabbled in the symbolic. Perhaps the simplicity points to a more austere spiritual experience, a move away from opulent displays. Sketches can be a space of incredible freedom, unbound by expectations. If this were a finished work, a fully realized pulpit, do you think that freedom would still translate? Editor: I suppose not! But as a sketch it becomes such a cool look into his artistic process and mind! It's not something you always see, which makes it even more interesting. Curator: Exactly, it's a dialogue with the artist across time. Something I feel lucky to have experienced with you today. Editor: Agreed. It makes you wonder about all the unseen ideas behind finished masterpieces.