Ontwerpen voor een meubel, mogelijk een kast c. 1905 - 1910

Curator: This drawing, housed here at the Rijksmuseum, is titled "Ontwerpen voor een meubel, mogelijk een kast," or "Designs for a piece of furniture, possibly a cabinet," by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, dating from around 1905 to 1910. Editor: Oh, I adore this! It's got a certain unfinished quality that lets my imagination run wild. Like peeking into the artist's mind as they're dreaming up a fantastical piece. Curator: Absolutely. The medium, pencil on paper, lends itself well to that feeling of immediacy. Cachet was very involved in the Arts and Crafts movement, which really advocated for artist-designed, handcrafted objects. This is a glimpse of that design process. Editor: The almost ghostly quality, the spare lines...It makes me think of whispered secrets and hidden compartments. It’s less about perfect execution and more about potential. Curator: Indeed. The beauty lies in its suggestive nature. Cachet's place in Dutch art history is interesting. He pushed back against strict academic traditions, embracing this idea of art interwoven with everyday life. Designs like this were meant for a world where aesthetics touched everything. Editor: There's a little scribble, a floral-ish doodle, that just sings to me. It tells me this wasn’t just a cold, calculated exercise. It was infused with the artist's personal touch, his little whimsy! Curator: A charming detail, it reflects the spirit of the era, but also emphasizes this isn't merely a technical plan; there's artistic intention here. How could this kind of object challenge the dominance of machine-made things? Editor: To think this object existed, and the maker saw something worthwhile in dreaming of new things…it sparks that in us too! This work speaks about the value of craftsmanship, both imagined and real. Curator: Exactly. It embodies the belief that everyday objects could be sources of beauty and artistic expression. Something so simply executed tells us so much about art's role in culture and values. Editor: In the end, it's this piece's playful air that holds my gaze. Even unfinished, a design can set the heart humming. It makes you think, right? About making and beauty.