Portrait of a Man 1920

M.C. Escher made this mind-bending portrait of a man using black and white lines, and it looks like he's thinking hard, but maybe he's just dizzy? Check out how the white lines curve and twist, creating a face that's both there and not there. There's something about the graphic quality of the printmaking process that always gets me going, I love seeing the hand of the artist in the lines and forms. I like that the negative space becomes just as important as the positive. The negative space almost overwhelms the portrait itself, which adds to the sense of unease, or is it playfulness? Escher reminds me of artists like Bridget Riley, who also used optical illusions to mess with our heads and make us question what we're seeing. It's all about playing with perception and inviting us to see the world in a new way. And in the end, isn't that what art is all about?