Papegaai 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing of a parrot, called "Papegaai," with a pencil on paper. The parrot is built from small, tentative marks. I can imagine Cachet, the artist, coaxing the parrot out of the paper with his pencil line. I wonder, what does it feel like to draw something that is also looking back at you? I bet he was making a lot of eye contact with this bird! You can see how the artist builds up tone and form with short, scribbled lines, carefully mapping the texture of the bird’s feathers. The parrot sits on a simple perch, almost disappearing into the background. Maybe Cachet was interested in the challenge of capturing its likeness with simple means. Looking at this drawing reminds me that even the simplest marks can carry so much information and feeling. Artists throughout time study each other’s work. We are all in conversation with one another!