Lezende Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes c. 1935 - 1940

Curator: This drawing, dating from around 1935 to 1940, is titled "Lezende Joanna Lion Cachet-Cordes." It’s attributed to Carel Adolph Lion Cachet, and it resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: Immediately, it gives off this ephemeral, fleeting quality—almost as though we're intruding on a private moment, a stolen glance into someone's personal sketchbook. Curator: Indeed. You can almost feel the artist working rapidly to capture the likeness. Look at the materials: pencil on paper. It suggests an immediate, almost disposable, intention, reflecting a specific economy of mark-making—nothing wasted, yet everything provisional. This makes it an incredibly accessible work; inexpensive materials but great talent on show. Editor: Absolutely, the medium amplifies that sense of intimacy. Who was Joanna, and what was her relationship to the artist? This image evokes such questions and, given the era, prompts considerations of gender, domesticity, the role of women in intellectual pursuits…Was she free to pursue the education available to her? Was her identity and contributions always in relation to a man's perspective, in life and now, in representation? Curator: Interesting points! The sketchiness might imply it’s preparatory work— a step toward a more 'finished' portrait. But perhaps the 'unfinished' nature itself challenges our understanding of labor; by Lion Cachet stopping, and choosing not to develop it more. Editor: Or the intentional decision to present the rough idea, not a refined picture. But could this also be about Lion Cachet reflecting and celebrating his own lineage through this medium? After all, it captures not just an image of Joanna but a moment in time – perhaps echoing other representations of women found during these decades? Curator: Perhaps...and I find the subtle handling of line remarkable. It's delicate, precise...look how little it takes to convey so much about light and form, as he manipulates very ordinary tools of pencil and paper. Editor: Agreed! The sketch seems pregnant with so many unarticulated possibilities. Thanks for drawing out the many lines, real and imagined. Curator: It was a pleasure delving into the nuances, uncovering layers beneath its simplicity of line.