Ontwerpen voor reliëfs c. 1928

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this sketch in preparation for reliefs, using pencil on paper. I find the smudged quality of the marks really interesting. You can see the artist working through his ideas; nothing is too precious. There are a series of rectangular forms towards the top left which seem to define the space for the reliefs, and it feels like the artist is really trying to get to grips with what the figures will look like within this space. It’s interesting that the rest of the page is filled with notes and references. There’s even a note that says ‘Ronsard?’ Maybe a reference to the poet? This piece reminds me of Cy Twombly’s sketchbooks, the way it brings together so many different ideas in one place. It’s like the artist is thinking out loud on the page. Art should always embrace this kind of ambiguity; it’s not about having all the answers but about exploring the questions.