Hen with Egg 1917

Editor: This is M.C. Escher’s "Hen with Egg" from 1917. It's a woodcut print, and I find it quite striking with its simplified, almost geometric lines. There's a kind of determined stance the hen has. What’s your take on it? Curator: Well, first, I find the choice of subject, seemingly so simple, deceptive. It's like Escher's whispering, "Even the everyday holds infinite potential." Look at the way the lines define the hen's form, not realistically, but almost like an idea of a hen. What do you make of the contrast between the geometric structure of the hen and the perfectly smooth, curved egg? Editor: I see what you mean; it's less about capturing reality and more about dissecting it. That egg almost feels… alien next to the hen. Like a seed of something other. Curator: Precisely! It's as though Escher’s challenging our perception of the natural world, inviting us to see beyond the surface. It is an early work of his career when he began exploring tessellations and repeating forms; he takes that idea of the simplified figure here. And the texture he creates with the woodcut technique adds a layer of rawness. What thoughts does it bring to mind, given its creation during the turmoil of World War I? Editor: That gives me pause. Maybe it’s about simplicity amidst chaos, a return to fundamental forms when the world felt utterly fractured. It is strangely grounding, even a century later. Curator: Beautifully said. And I think that's what art can do: offer us a new way to see, a new way to feel, even when—or perhaps especially when—it's born from chaos. Thanks for sharing that interpretation with me. Editor: Thank you. I see this woodcut in a whole new light now! It makes me want to experiment more with reductive techniques like this.