Goriano Sicoli 1929

Editor: This is M.C. Escher's "Goriano Sicoli," a print from 1929. The stark black and white rendering really emphasizes the almost overwhelming density of the built environment. What can you tell me about it? Curator: Well, first, let's consider printmaking as a *process*. Engraving, the specific method here, demands a very particular, almost architectural, planning of labor. It’s about controlled removal of material – demanding tremendous skill but also, importantly, time. What implications do you see for how the artist depicts *buildings*, specifically in a laborious, materially engaged artform? Editor: Hmm, so you are thinking of printmaking in conversation with city planning. Well, perhaps the density suggests a sense of confinement, as the viewer has little escape? Curator: Precisely! The relentless detail transforms architecture into an almost organic entity. The visual texture echoes the actual texture of the carved block. Note also how he meticulously renders each tiny brick and the overall form seems almost grown or crystallized out of the landscape. Now, does it feel ordered or chaotic? And why does Escher devote such precision to its representation through the intense labour of engraving? Editor: I would say it’s ordered chaos, the mountains frame everything very well, but chaotic given all the detail and buildings so closely put together. Perhaps the hard labour makes Escher connect to his subject more? As he too creates and builds? Curator: Good. The sheer labor invested in producing this image suggests more than just documentation. Escher transforms the physical act of construction of a landscape and village into something very intentional, which in turn transforms into high art! He's highlighting how artistic labor *mirrors* the physical labor involved in building a village. What do you take away from this comparison? Editor: I guess it blurs the boundaries, like, who is to say building this village isn't art and art is its own construction? I didn't see it like that before. Thanks! Curator: Exactly! Consider it as an interpretation rather than mere representation, reflecting human effort and transformation of landscape. The materials, the making and consumption all in conversation with one another!