Randazzo and Mount Etna, Sicily 1933

M.C. Escher made this wood engraving entitled "Randazzo and Mount Etna, Sicily" using stark contrasts between black and white to depict a southern Italian landscape. The image reflects the period in which Escher produced this work, between 1920 and 1935, when he travelled extensively in Italy. Escher’s landscapes depart from the conventions of the picturesque. Instead of a harmonious composition of natural forms, Escher presents a topographically accurate and architecturally detailed view of the town of Randazzo, overshadowed by the active volcano Mount Etna. The architecture of the church dominates the town, and the bridge that leads into it. The graphic style heightens the contrast between the man-made structures, and the imposing form of the natural landscape, as if the town exists in a state of subjugation to the forces of nature. In understanding this image, archival research into the social and economic conditions in this period could offer insights into the relationship between the built environment and its natural context.