Design for a Postage Stamp: "Voor het Nationaal Luchtvaartfonds" (For the National Aviation Foundation) 1935

Here’s M.C. Escher’s design for a postage stamp "Voor het Nationaal Luchtvaartfonds" made with pencil, ink, and gouache. You can see the artist's hand so clearly, in the stippled greys and clean crisp lines. It’s not about hiding the work, but about revealing the actual making. I love the simplicity of the palette, these muted greys set off by a stark white, almost like chalk on a blackboard. The diagonal lines of the graph paper peek through the design, reminding us of the underlying structure and mathematical foundations of Escher’s work. Look closely at the edges of the planes: you can almost see how the artist moved the tool across the surface, how each mark builds up the image piece by piece. The image gives a nod to constructivist design while maintaining Escher’s signature play with geometry. This piece reminds me a little of Josef Albers' approach to color theory, but with a playful twist. Art is always this ongoing conversation, isn’t it?