Kalenderblad mei met vogel tussen bloesem 1901

This calendar page for May, with a bird amongst blossoms, was made by Theo van Hoytema, who was active at the turn of the century. It feels so intimate, as though it has emerged through close looking, a kind of communion with the natural world. Imagine Hoytema working on this, thinking of the Art Nouveau movement. How artists were turning their attention to design and illustration. What was it like to find new ways of seeing beauty in the everyday? The pale greens and browns create a soft and gentle feeling, like the start of Spring, and the print is so delicate. Look at the tiny blossoms, and how they frame the bird in its nest. All these tiny marks, coming together to make a whole new world. It reminds me that artists are always looking, noticing, and transforming what they see into something new. We take inspiration from one another, building on the ideas that came before, imagining new worlds and new ways of seeing.