Symmetry Watercolor 70 Butterfly 1948

This ‘Symmetry Watercolor 70 Butterfly’ was made by M.C. Escher, using watercolor paint and likely a fine liner to build this kaleidoscopic pattern. This isn't just some static picture but a record of Escher really figuring things out through a kind of playful process. Look at the way Escher layers the colors. See how each butterfly is made up of individual brush strokes? The watercolors are translucent, like stained glass, but there’s also an intensity to the colors, a kind of optical buzz that makes my eyes dance around the canvas. Notice the little dots along the edges of each butterfly? It’s these details, these tiny gestures, that give the whole piece its intricate feel. Each mark is a choice, a decision, a step in the dance between control and chaos. Escher's explorations in tessellations always remind me of the work of Frank Stella, another artist who was fascinated with pattern and repetition. But whereas Stella's work is often cool and cerebral, Escher brings a kind of warm, playful touch to his art. It's a reminder that art is never really finished but is a conversation with the past and a possibility for the future.