Kerkraam en architectuurstudies c. 1905 - 1906

Carel Adolph Lion Cachet made this pencil drawing called Kerkraam en architectuurstudies, or Church Window and Architectural Studies. Just looking at these sketched lines, you can tell the artist was working something out, right? It’s like seeing into his process. The faintness gives it a dreamlike quality, as though we’re glimpsing the ghost of an idea, or a memory of a place. I wonder if he was inspired by the architecture of the church or perhaps tasked with creating something new? The artist’s hand is so present. The window design at the top has this gorgeous floral pattern and some dynamic curves—it’s not just decorative, it feels like it could take flight. The architectural studies, those geometric forms underneath, anchor the ethereal window to the ground. I see the connection between the natural world and the man-made. Artists constantly inspire each other across time, riffing off each other’s ideas. It’s cool to think about how this drawing might spark new possibilities in another artist’s mind.