Grasshopper 1935

This striking black and white print of a grasshopper was made by M.C. Escher, but we don’t know exactly when. Imagine the artist meticulously carving into the wood block, removing tiny slivers to create this image. It’s a world away from the gestural abandon of a painter like Joan Mitchell or Cecily Brown, but no less impressive. I can see Escher hunched over his block, maybe cursing as the knife slips, thinking about how each line contributes to the overall effect of texture and depth. What was he thinking as he worked? Was he even aware of other artists, or was he completely immersed in his own world of geometric precision? The contrast between the dark, velvety shadows and the intricately detailed insect is intense. The insect almost seems to leap off the surface. Each line seems precise and deliberate, like he’s building a kind of diagram of what insects are and how they work. It reminds me that artists are always looking, learning, and building on the ideas of those who came before.