Regular Division of The Plane IV 1957

Editor: Here we have M.C. Escher's "Regular Division of The Plane IV" from 1957, a print using graphic arts techniques. It features tessellated dogs in black and white, and there's a strange kind of organised chaos to it, a pattern that is also so much more. What do you see when you look at it? Curator: It makes me think about infinity, and how patterns can play with our perception. I see a pack of rather fierce dogs, maybe guard dogs of the subconscious! The negative space is as important as the figures themselves, creating this dynamic push-and-pull that's visually arresting, wouldn’t you agree? It’s like Escher is asking: what is real, and what is simply the space between things? Editor: Absolutely. It's kind of mind-bending. Is there something about the time it was created that might offer context? Curator: Well, mid-century was ripe for experimentation. Think about the rise of abstract expressionism happening alongside Escher's more calculated geometry. There’s a sense of order imposed onto, well, possibly primal chaos. Perhaps a visual metaphor for the Cold War anxieties, the attempt to contain and categorize the world? Editor: That's fascinating, a struggle between order and chaos on paper. I initially saw just a pattern but now... Curator: Now, it’s a philosophical statement, perhaps? A playful, beautifully rendered paradox. I see so much here and think others will too. What do you think you will take away? Editor: I won't look at patterns the same way. There's something almost unsettling now about seeing one; a reminder there might be chaos held inside. Curator: Precisely, my friend. Escher offers us not just pretty pictures, but a chance to rethink what we see.