Kalenderblad oktober met zwanen 1901

Curator: This is Theo van Hoytema’s “October Calendar Page with Swans,” a linocut print created in 1901. It resides here at the Rijksmuseum. Editor: It's a captivating blend of tranquility and autumnal foreboding. The subdued, almost melancholic color palette contributes to a quiet, introspective mood. It speaks to the changing seasons and perhaps, even our own mortality. Curator: As a calendar page designed in the Art Nouveau style, it reflects the period’s interest in integrating art into everyday life, in blurring boundaries between utility and the aesthetic experience. Editor: The swans are striking. They evoke themes of purity and transformation, their serene image offset by the dying leaves of the willow tree—suggesting the cyclical nature of life and death that so fascinated artists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Note, also, the silhouettes of flying birds scattered above and below the calendar dates, and notice how similar they are in form to the abstracted wing shapes that make up the border design. Curator: Van Hoytema was quite invested in the application of social ideas through printmaking and the calendar itself reflects societal organization around the marking of time. He produced many such designs, intended to beautify homes and bring art into the lives of ordinary people, contributing to the broader Arts and Crafts movement. Editor: Beyond social aspects, it speaks to me about transition, particularly the transition into winter. The fading foliage, the solitary swan…it is as if Van Hoytema captured the very essence of October – a moment suspended between fullness and decline, all encoded through elegant symbols. Curator: It’s a piece of applied art that elevates the mundane through the lens of artistic intention. I’m left pondering how its symbolism served a pedagogical function, encouraging viewers to engage with notions of progress, beauty and the changing times. Editor: For me, it leaves a trace of autumnal reflection, stirring deep emotions with simple, recurring images of nature's continuous and deeply personal rhythms.