Kalenderblad voor augustus 1912 met wilde planten 1911

Theo van Hoytema made this calendar page for August 1912 with ink and graphite, and you can see a real sense of care in every line. Imagine Hoytema hunched over his desk, maybe with a magnifying glass, teasing out these delicate botanical details. There’s the calendar grid itself, so precise, and then these wild plants exploding all around it. It’s like he’s saying, even in the most regimented parts of our lives, there’s room for nature to creep in. His lines remind me of Dürer, but with a touch of Art Nouveau. It's like he’s having a conversation with the past, but also dreaming of the future. Look at the way he captures the texture of the leaves, the subtle shading that gives them depth. He wasn't just copying what he saw, he was feeling it. And that feeling, that’s what makes it art. Artists like Hoytema and Dürer remind us that it’s not just about what you see, but how you see it.