Kalenderblad mei met broedende lijster 1915

Editor: Here we have Theo van Hoytema’s 1915 print, "Kalenderblad mei met broedende lijster," or Calendar Page for May with a Brooding Thrush. It’s currently housed in the Rijksmuseum. The almost monochromatic, muted greens and yellows are giving me such a peaceful feeling, like looking at something from a dream, although the perspective is slightly unsettling, what is your take on this particular work? Curator: Unsettling is such a perfect word for it, don't you think? I think it hints at how powerful this piece can be. Art Nouveau often dances with nature, but this print seems to hold its breath somewhere between reverence and a sly, almost unsettling, acknowledgement of nature’s wildness. It feels so intimate, the hatching of those strokes, like being right there, eye to eye with this thrush family as the calendar year shifts into May, and nature starts its slow crescendo toward Summer. I see life. I also think it could be a very subtle commentary about life, reproduction, mortality, time ticking forward regardless of our wishes. What does the symbolism evoke in you? Editor: The combination of a natural scene with the rigidity of the calendar feels like an acknowledgement of nature, but somehow, even restrained. It feels controlled, less "wild," and more domesticated and planned. Curator: Controlled nature; it reminds me of when city folk keep their apartment windows open only slightly; like they still want air and a connection to outdoors but maybe only a measured dose, you know? Perhaps Hoytema might be proposing this image as a metaphor of life itself. Is it the life he desires to embrace or more so an understanding? Is May the beginning of life or another tick in the calendar counting down days to death. Editor: Wow, I did not think that this innocent piece would turn out so dark... Curator: Maybe all calendars are somewhat dark, no? Thanks for this eye-opening experience, these quiet whispers the art shares and the dialogue we had were illuminating, I'm taking some interesting nuggets from it to further chew on, maybe over a warm cup of tea…