Hen with Egg 1917

Editor: So, this is M.C. Escher’s "Hen with Egg," a woodcut print from 1917. It’s striking how he's simplified the hen into these almost geometric forms. There's something both comforting and slightly unsettling about its stark black and white contrast. What symbols stand out to you in this early work? Curator: The hen, universally a symbol of domesticity and motherhood, paired with the egg, representing potential and nascent life, is potent. Given Escher's later preoccupation with impossible realities and metamorphoses, I find it intriguing how he uses these highly recognizable images. The heavy lines he employs seem to emphasize a contained, almost trapped energy, what do you think of this? Editor: I see what you mean! It's almost like he's foreshadowing his more complex explorations of confinement and perspective. Is the black background meaningful in any particular way? Curator: Black can often symbolize the unknown or the primordial void from which all things emerge. Here, it seems to flatten the space, pressing the hen forward. Note the hen’s downcast gaze, an aspect not always present in images of maternal care; it is a cultural commentary in the making, revealing uncertainty as part of this domain. Do you see any cultural significance? Editor: Hmmm, I hadn’t thought about it that way. Maybe it's about the anxieties associated with creation and the future. Looking at this through the lens of Escher's later works makes me realize that he's always been playing with perception, even in this seemingly simple image. Curator: Indeed. This early piece demonstrates his burgeoning interest in visual paradoxes and questioning what is real, hidden under seemingly simplistic animal imagery. The cultural symbols become puzzles for a different perspective in this emerging style, and he uses those to great effect later in life. Editor: Well, I certainly have a newfound appreciation for the layers of symbolism in this unassuming print. Curator: Absolutely! Looking closer reveals hidden depths even in familiar forms.