Floraal motief 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this floral sketch on paper, using graphite, sometime between 1880 and 1940. The first thing you notice about the work is how simple it is, just a few lines on paper. But simplicity can be deceptive. Look at how purposefully the artist has used the grid, which is at a diagonal to the composition as a whole. The grid gives order to the natural forms. The work is a kind of tension between these elements. Cachet was a man of his time, and he would have been fully aware of the debates swirling around the applied arts. The relationship between industrial production and individual expression. This sketch represents an attempt to find harmony in design. It asks: Can beauty be found in repetition? By considering how it was made, and how the artist has engaged with both nature and industry, we can better appreciate the subtleties of this seemingly simple work.