Menu van het diner bij het huldeblijk aan Albert Neuhuys (1844-1914) Possibly 1904 - 1916

This menu commemorating Albert Neuhuys by Henri Koetser, was printed in 1902. It’s rendered in a monochromatic palette, where soft, smudgy grays melt into darker, velvety blacks, reflecting a world seen through a nostalgic lens. The top of the menu features a vignette of two figures, their faces etched with the deep lines of labor and age. The image looks like it was transferred from a drawing; there are even some darker marks that feel like stray pencil marks. Note how the artist uses the density of the ink to create a somber mood. The grainy texture gives it a tactile quality, a kind of visual echo of the hearty dishes listed below. The main course titles, so elegant in their typography, sit in stark contrast to the world of humble toil above. It's a bit like looking at a formal garden through a misted window. I'm reminded of Käthe Kollwitz who also turned to the lives of working-class people for her subject matter. Both artists invite us to find beauty in the everyday, a recognition that life, like art, is in the tasting, not just the menu.