Kalenderblad februari met kraaien in de sneeuw 1905

Theo van Hoytema made this calendar page for February with crows in the snow, using lithography. Can you imagine him drawing onto that stone? It’s all in shades of gray, like a memory of winter, or a half-forgotten dream. Look at the frenzy of crows taking off; such restless energy. The artist conjures such rich imagery from so little. The black ink is dense in some areas, fading to a whisper of gray in others, creating a ghostly depth. I wonder if Van Hoytema was thinking about Japanese prints when he made this; there's something of that graphic sensibility here. The texture feels hand-wrought; the artist is present, negotiating with the materials. Think about how artists build upon each other's work. Every mark is a conversation with those who came before, pushing painting forward.