Kalenderblad september met watervogels tussen het riet 1916

This calendar sheet for September with Water Birds Among the Reeds was made by Theo van Hoytema. It's like a little poem to mark-making. Look at how Hoytema uses these delicate, almost hesitant lines. They're not trying too hard, you know? There's a modesty to the whole thing. It makes you think about the passing of time, how light shifts, how the reeds sway. The pale, watery greens and browns create a subdued, almost melancholic mood. I love the little ducks tucked away in the corners. They remind me of the kind of doodles you might find in the margins of a notebook, spontaneous and free. It reminds me of the work of Odilon Redon, how he used his drawings to create a world of dreamlike beauty, using these humble materials to create these imaginative works. Art’s an ongoing conversation. What do you think?