Kalenderblad augustus met Vlaamse gaai 1903

This is Theo van Hoytema’s “Kalenderblad augustus met Vlaamse gaai” (August Calendar Page with Eurasian Jay), now at the Rijksmuseum. Hoytema's print has this super delicate, muted palette—mostly greens and browns. Look at the bird. It's perched on something, maybe a rock, in water, and there are these ripples all around. Imagine the artist etching into the plate, trying to capture the bird's weight, the way it makes the water move. You can see how the leaves are rendered with such fine lines and a gentle looping rhythm. I wonder if Hoytema felt a connection to this bird? Did he watch it in his garden, and then try to immortalize it? When you look at a work like this, you think about the hours the artist put in, the patience, and how we are still looking at it, thinking about it now. Artists are always talking to each other across time, you know? One artist sees something, does something, and then another artist picks up on it, changes it, and keeps the conversation going. Each artist brings their own experiences and ideas to the table. It’s all connected.