Castel Mola and Mount Etna, Sicily (December 1932) 1932

M.C. Escher made this lithograph "Castel Mola and Mount Etna, Sicily" in December 1932. Look how Escher coaxes so much depth and texture out of stark black and white, almost as if he's sculpting with light. The way he uses short, deliberate marks to define the terraced hillsides gives a real sense of the physical labor involved in shaping the landscape. You can almost feel the heat radiating from Mount Etna looming in the background. Those tiny, precise lines build up to create a vast, almost overwhelming sense of scale. Check out the way Escher renders the Castel Mola itself, perched atop its rocky outcrop. The castle looks like a natural extension of the landscape. For me, this piece is not just a landscape but a meditation on how humans interact with and leave their mark on the world, a theme he would continue to explore throughout his career. His meticulous approach reminds me a little of Durer, in the way both artists explore the interplay between detail and the big picture.