Kalenderblad maart met kroonkranen 1905

Theo van Hoytema made this calendar page for March with Crowned Cranes, and well, you can see what he used, it’s right here, it’s a print! Look at those cranes; they're cool and so elegant. The texture is all in these tiny, tiny marks that create a pattern, almost like wallpaper. Everything feels very flat, but it’s also got depth. You can see the hand in it, the way the lines vary in thickness. It's not trying to be slick or perfect. The main crane’s crown looks like a funky halo, with the marks fanning out like rays of light. That crown contrasts with the way the neck is described in dense hatching, but it resolves with the simple beak and eye. Hoytema’s got a great balance between detail and simplicity. Thinking about other printmakers who embraced nature and flat design, someone like Hiroshige comes to mind. But Hoytema brings a unique graphic sensibility to the natural world. Art is like talking to other artists across time – a big, weird conversation where everyone's trying to figure something out, and never quite does.