Kalenderblad augustus met kaketoe 1901

This calendar page for August, with a cockatoo, was made by Theo van Hoytema. It is an odd mix of utilitarianism and whimsy. I imagine Hoytema, bent over his drawing board, crafting this calendar, his mind a mix of precision and playfulness. The cockatoo, rendered in delicate lines, is the star of the show, a feathered muse perched amidst the mundane grid of dates. But it’s the monkeys that steal my heart. They frame the calendar with such mischievous glee. There is something joyful about it; the way the animals are carefully drawn, their expressions caught in a fleeting moment of curiosity. It reminds me that painting, like life, is about finding beauty in the unexpected, and celebrating the messy, imperfect moments that make it all worthwhile.