Drie vliegende vogels 1878 - 1914

This lithograph of three birds in flight was created by Theo van Hoytema, most likely in the late 19th or early 20th century. Lithography is a printmaking technique that relies on the contrast between greasy and water-receptive areas on a flat stone or metal plate. Van Hoytema would have drawn the image of the birds with a greasy crayon or ink, then treated the plate so that ink would adhere only to the drawn areas. From this, multiple impressions of the design could be printed. The resulting image has a direct, almost sketch-like quality, the lithographic crayon mimicking the effect of a rapidly drawn charcoal study. This lends the work a sense of immediacy and captures the dynamic movement of the birds. Lithography democratized image production, making art more accessible. By embracing this technique, van Hoytema blurs the line between fine art and the graphic arts, inviting us to consider the social and economic context of artistic creation.