Decoratief ontwerp 1874 - 1945

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet created this decorative design with ink on paper. What strikes me is how the rigid grid contrasts with the free flowing shapes, it's a kind of tension that makes it work. The ink is applied with varying degrees of wetness, creating a range of tones from light grays to deep blacks. You can see the hand of the artist, the way the brushstrokes waver and bleed, like a meditation. Look at how the ink pools in the corners of the curlicues, or how it thins out on the edges of the border. It gives you a sense of the process, the absorption of the ink into the page. It's not perfect, but it's beautiful in its imperfection. It reminds me of some of the work of Gustav Klimt, the way he used pattern and ornament to create a sense of opulence and mystery. But here, it's more subdued, more humble.