Kalenderblad voor juni 1913 met twee kerkuilen 1912

This calendar for June 1913, with two barn owls, was made by Theo van Hoytema. It feels almost like a woodcut, or maybe a linocut, with its clearly delineated shapes and flat colors. The process feels very present here, almost like you could reach out and touch the individual lines. I particularly love how the two owls huddle together, their bodies merging into one another. The texture created by the lines feels almost like a topographical map, creating a sense of depth and complexity that belies the relative simplicity of the image. Hoytema reminds me a little of someone like Elizabeth Murray, who also had this incredible ability to transform the most mundane subjects into something that felt deeply personal and profound. Art, after all, is an ongoing conversation, a constant exchange of ideas and images.