Initial D 1931

This is M.C. Escher’s ‘Initial D’, a black and white print with carefully drawn lines, it looks like steam is rising from a coffee pot. The whole thing is constructed from lines, like Escher painstakingly layering thought upon thought. I can imagine Escher sitting there with his tools, thinking deeply about perspective and reality. What was he trying to capture? It makes me think about trying to capture smoke with a camera; the steam almost vibrates against the stillness of the solid pot. Did he want to try and render something in the process of disappearing? Or did he mean to make something permanent of something so fleeting? It’s like he’s saying: look closer, reality is more complex than you think. Maybe it’s like when painters play with flatness and depth, trying to make you see the world in a new way. Thinking about making prints and the long history of artists making prints makes me happy! Everyone has been trying to figure things out since the dawn of time.