Tak orchideeën 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing of orchids sometime in his life, probably with graphite or charcoal on paper. What strikes me is the contrast between the dense, almost velvety blackness surrounding the flower and the delicate lines that define its form. The petals themselves emerge from this darkness, a kind of dance between positive and negative space. You can see the artist feeling around for the shape, not in a tentative way, but with confidence, as if the flower is gradually coming into being. There's something so alive about that, the sense of the work being made right in front of you. The splashes and marks at the bottom remind me of Cy Twombly's drawings – a kind of controlled chaos that suggests a wider field of activity. For me, this piece is all about process, about the artist's hand and eye working together to capture the essence of a flower, but also about something more ephemeral, like a feeling or a memory. It's a beautiful reminder that art is not just about representation, but about the act of making itself.