Kalenderblad maart met kroonkranen 1905

Theo van Hoytema made this calendar page for March with crowned cranes, and you can see it as a lithograph. The way the black ink spreads across the surface, it’s almost like watching the artist work through a dense fog, isn't it? You can imagine Van Hoytema in the studio, moving between the focused intensity of observation and the freedom of expressive mark-making. I wonder what was going through his mind as he captured the tall bird's elegant necks and curious gaze. Maybe he was thinking about time and nature, or the way art can pause a fleeting moment. There is a sense of time and timelessness together. The muted colors and rough edges give the print a really tactile quality, don’t you think? It has a way of drawing you into the scene, almost like you are there in the marsh with the cranes. It reminds me that art is often about inviting others into the conversation, and exchanging ideas across time.