Ontwerpen voor lampen c. 1905 - 1910

Curator: So, here we have a page of sketches titled "Ontwerpen voor lampen," or "Designs for Lamps," created by Carel Adolph Lion Cachet around 1905 to 1910. It's a pencil drawing, a real glimpse into the artist's process. What’s your first take? Editor: Dreamy, somehow. It has a real antique quality with its soft pencil strokes on toned paper; it feels intimate, like we are peering into a personal sketchbook. Curator: Precisely! Cachet, as an artist, was so interested in craft and design, not just in the fine arts. These sketches really exemplify the Art Nouveau style, blending form and function so elegantly. Notice the geometric shapes, the hand-drawn lettering… Editor: Yes, those repetitive forms—the circles, the ovals—it reminds me of a language. In many cultures, light symbolizes knowledge, enlightenment, hope… and these lamps, they are vessels of illumination. Do you think the choice of shapes was more aesthetic or practical? Curator: I would imagine a delightful mixture of both! Cachet's mind, I feel, must have been brimming with ideas. These aren’t just technical drawings; they evoke a sense of the atmosphere the lamps might create, the type of light they would cast. Editor: Look how some details appear unfinished, not clearly expressed. Those incomplete parts suggest that he moved quickly to keep up with the ideas as they developed. Did any of these designs come to fruition? Curator: Unfortunately, there are no confirmed existing lamps that directly correspond with these sketches, but that adds to the allure for me. It’s all potential, a whisper of what could have been. Editor: This sketchbook feel makes me think about artists hiding meaning in everyday imagery. They serve to elevate domestic environments by introducing symbolism to household lighting objects. So powerful. I imagine those circles patterned around a room... Curator: It feels a very generous impulse to take functional objects and imbue them with deeper cultural or artistic meaning, creating this whole emotional world in what may seem utilitarian to others. Editor: It’s easy to imagine being inspired by just one page from a sketchbook from over one hundred years ago. Art that invites exploration. Thanks for sharing these reflections, truly inspiring.