Kalenderblad oktober met bloemen, mogelijk kamperfoelie of clematis before 1904

This calendar page for October, created by Anna Sipkema, is a celebration of form, and most likely made with lithography, given the era and style. The purple and olive green, with a touch of yellow, sets a mood that’s both vibrant and calm, very art nouveau. Look at the way the shapes echo each other! The curves of the flowers mirror the shapes framing the calendar itself. It's all about how one form leads to another. Take for example the flower at the bottom right corner; see how the artist simplified it to its basic shapes? You can almost feel the artist finding a balance between observation and abstraction. It's not about perfection, but about a lively translation of nature. Sipkema reminds me a bit of Hilma af Klint, thinking about how geometry can contain something living, something organic. Both artists were interested in different ways of seeing, thinking, and experiencing the world. Art is all about seeing and feeling in new ways, isn't it?