Tafelontwerpen 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this drawing of table designs, titled "Tafelontwerpen", using graphite on paper. Look at the gentle graphite lines, how they softly suggest form, almost like a whisper of a table. It's all about process here, seeing the idea take shape, rather than a finished product. I love the way the artist allows the sketch to breathe. There's a lightness to the touch, a certain hesitancy in the lines, that feels very intimate. Notice the table at the bottom left, how the details are more pronounced, yet still tentative, like the artist is thinking aloud. This reminds me of the work of Josef Hoffmann, in its exploration of form and function. Yet, unlike Hoffmann's precise geometries, there's a looseness here that invites interpretation. It's a reminder that art, even in design, is always an ongoing dialogue.