Kalenderblad mei met irissen before 1904

Anna Sipkema made this calendar page for May with irises in the Netherlands, but I don’t know exactly when. Imagine her working on this page—the focus needed to get the details right! The irises are a regal purple, aren't they? They're not just sitting there; they're reaching, almost dancing, around the calendar grid, framed by pea-green foliage and golden swirls. There's a rhythm here, a pattern of curves and lines that feels both deliberate and playful. I wonder what Sipkema was thinking about as she worked? Maybe she was eager for spring after a long Dutch winter? Or maybe she just wanted to see what she could do with a simple calendar design, pushing it to the edge of something beautiful. It reminds me of the Arts and Crafts movement, and its love of pattern and handcraft. There’s a touch of Aubrey Beardsley and Art Nouveau in the lines. Artists talk to each other across time, inspiring each other. To me, this calendar is an act of love and an embrace of beauty in the everyday.