Decoratief ontwerp 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this decorative design with pencil and brush in watercolour. It's got this great, understated palette, mostly greys and muted reds, which gives it a feeling of a half-remembered fresco. Cachet's mark-making is fascinating, he leaves the grid showing beneath the design. It's like he’s revealing his process, letting us see the underlying structure he's working with. It really emphasises that an artwork isn't some magical object but something constructed, built up, layer by layer. Take a look at the figures at the bottom, how they emerge from these washes of grey, anchoring the design. The way the colours are thinned out and bleed into each other, it’s not about precision. It's more about capturing a mood, an atmosphere. There’s something here that reminds me of Odilon Redon, that same dreamlike quality.