Kalenderblad april met koekoek 1902

This calendar page for April, with a cuckoo, was made by Theo van Hoytema. It's hard to know exactly when but I'm guessing that he used lithography. What I love about this image is the muted colour. The background is almost dark green, and the bird is a soft grey with a hint of brown. The eye is drawn to the bird and the flowers that frame the image and the calendar itself. Did van Hoytema carefully consider the rhythm and balance of the overall composition, or did it all just come together intuitively? I can imagine Hoytema walking in nature, observing the birds and flowers around him. He probably wanted to bring some of that beauty into people's everyday lives. It makes me think about the way nature and art are intertwined. Artists always learn from each other. Think about Japanese prints and the way they influenced artists like Van Gogh. This little calendar, it's part of that big conversation. It reminds me that art is all about feeling and emotion, capturing the ephemeral moments of life.