Kalenderblad februari met toekan 1914

Editor: This is Theo van Hoytema’s "Kalenderblad februari met toekan," made in 1914, using drawing, print, watercolor and ink. I'm really struck by the combination of careful observation with an almost whimsical, art nouveau style. What stands out to you when you look at this? Curator: It’s fascinating to consider this calendar sheet as a product of its time, especially in light of the growing environmental movement in the early 20th century. Do you notice how Hoytema positions the toucan, a distinctly non-European bird, within a distinctly European structure, that of the calendar? Editor: I hadn't thought about it like that! So, you mean like placing an exotic other within a familiar framework? Curator: Exactly. What implications might that have, especially concerning colonialism and the appropriation of nature for human, often Western, purposes? The delicate watercolor technique further softens any potential critique. Editor: It almost feels like a celebration of nature then? Perhaps obscuring any potential issues. The way the toucans' eyes seem to meet our gaze also gives them a surprising amount of agency. Curator: Do you think so? Or does their direct gaze merely make them more consumable, aligning them neatly within the human gaze and control? Remember this was also a period of burgeoning scientific illustration alongside rapid industrial growth, where nature was being intensely studied and, arguably, exploited. How does Hoytema's piece sit within this tension? Editor: That's a much more critical way of reading those eyes. I initially saw innocence, but now I’m questioning if that's naive on my part. Thanks, it's really shifted my understanding! Curator: It's these layers of interpretation, grounded in social and historical context, that makes art history so crucial, and reminds us how deeply embedded questions of identity and power can be.