Kalenderblad februari 1900 1900

Theo Nieuwenhuis created this calendar page for February 1900 with ink and graphite on paper. The graphic style is so distinctive, all crisp lines and flat planes of color. Nieuwenhuis was active during the Dutch Art Nouveau movement, and this work shows why. The design is both highly structured and also fanciful, with stylized botanical motifs and lettering. It’s easy to forget, looking at this work now, that it would have been made in multiples, probably by means of lithography. This would have allowed for relatively quick and economical reproduction, bringing an aesthetic sensibility into everyday life. This calendar is a reminder that at the turn of the century, there was a broad social project underway, aiming to uplift design and integrate it with fine art. It’s a great example of how designers took the techniques of mass production and put them in the service of beauty.