Kalenderblad augustus met vogel in het bos 1906

Theo van Hoytema made this calendar page for August with a bird in the woods, and looking at it, I imagine him, perhaps, in the quiet of his studio, carefully layering shades of green and grey to evoke the stillness of a summer forest. It's like he’s inviting us to step into a secret world—a place where light filters through the trees, and everything feels damp and hushed. I feel like I can almost hear the soft rustle of leaves and the gentle murmur of the breeze, and then a tiny bird. I wonder if he was thinking about a very particular place, and whether he visited the forest frequently, taking notes, making sketches. I can see how this piece fits into the broader tradition of landscape painting, and reminds me of how painters like the Impressionists were interested in capturing fleeting moments of light and atmosphere. In that way, this calendar becomes a meditation on nature.