Kalenderblad oktober met snip en reiger 1916

Curator: Oh, look at this. It's a calendar page for October, created by Theo van Hoytema in 1916. The Rijksmuseum holds it. It's a lithograph print—a rather striking blend of botanical art and calendar design. Editor: My first impression? Wintry, almost melancholy. Even though it's just a calendar page, the way those birds are drawn, huddled and sleek in the lower register, hints at the cold days setting in. Curator: Van Hoytema was well-known for his depictions of birds, wasn't he? This piece reminds us how Art Nouveau incorporated the natural world, especially animals and plant life, into everyday designs. Editor: Absolutely, the sinuous lines of the reeds, the abstracted waves—they're very much in that Art Nouveau vein. But I also see a strong sense of observation. Each bird is captured with a keen eye for its distinct posture and movement. And I suppose calendars weren’t merely functional in those days. There's an inherent cultural purpose, of course. The art in it signals taste, even affluence, maybe? Curator: A little luxury for marking the days. And consider the context, 1916… amidst the upheaval of the First World War. This calendar, with its quiet scenes of nature, would offer a gentle escape. There’s a timelessness in nature that could act as a contrast to human turmoil, don't you think? Editor: It does make you wonder about the people who would have used it. Marking off the days with, perhaps, more weight than we do now, against a backdrop of total change. Curator: These birds –the heron on either side of the month grid or the snipe overhead— become witnesses to the passage of time and reminders of life's continuities, too. There’s something comforting in that repetition, week after week. Editor: It’s a testament to how artists can elevate the mundane, even during dark times. Turning a simple calendar page into a meditation on nature, time, and survival.