Kalenderblad voor juli 1912 met een waterrijk landschap met vogels 1911

This calendar page for July 1912, made by Theo van Hoytema, is rendered in soft, muted tones, a restrained palette that feels both nostalgic and calming. The artist isn't trying to trick you with illusionism; instead, there's a charming flatness to the scene, almost like a stage set. The landscape at the top shows reeds and waterbirds and is built up with layers of subtle hatching. The marks are clearly visible, revealing the artist's hand and process. Below this, the calendar grid is surrounded by leaves and insects with the hand-drawn typography adding a personal touch. I am drawn to the composition as a whole, the way the landscape is carefully arranged, how the birds are distributed across the sky. Hoytema reminds me of a kindred spirit, someone like Walter Crane, also interested in decorative art and the natural world. Both artists embraced the ambiguity and fluidity of art, inviting us to linger in the realm of imagination.