Ontwerp voor een vaas 1874 - 1945

This is Carel Adolph Lion Cachet’s “Ontwerp voor een vaas”, or design for a vase, made at an unknown date with pen and ink. You know, there is something so great about seeing an artist's working drawings. It’s like you're catching them in the middle of a thought. Look at the heavy dark ink, and the way the artist seems to be searching for the form with these confident but not overworked marks. You can imagine him turning the paper, seeing the vase from different angles as he works. The ink is opaque, but see how he allows the tone to vary with the pressure of the brush, or pen, leaving some areas lighter and more translucent. The swirls and curls in the frame create a sense of ornate decoration but the open areas of the body of the vase leave space for your imagination. It reminds me of Matisse’s line drawings, simple but full of character and life. It's a reminder that art is a conversation, ideas flowing and evolving.