Ontwerp voor drukwerk voor Boekbinderij der Vakschool voor Typografie, uitgave augustus 1916 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet designed this print for the bookbinding department of a typography school in August 1916. I imagine him making it with brushes and black ink, probably on thin paper. The design balances a careful symmetry with blocky, hand-drawn forms. Notice how the artist has combined the lettering within this graphic, almost architectural structure. The shapes feel both fluid and fixed. The design is bold, yet also feels delicate around the edges. The curling lines and corners remind me of Art Nouveau, but the flat black ink also recalls the graphic impact of woodcuts. Perhaps Cachet was thinking about the kinds of images that could be reproduced easily in books? What would it have been like to study typography at this time? Artists are always borrowing and riffing on the work of those who came before them. In a way, we are always students! I wonder who might be inspired by this print today?