Bird Fish 1938

M.C. Escher made this woodcut, Bird Fish, in 1938. The image presents us with an interlocking pattern of birds and fish, a visual game of figure and ground that plays on the paradoxical relationship between distinct categories. Escher was Dutch, but in the 1930s he lived largely in Rome. His work is difficult to situate within any artistic movement of the period, and it perhaps represents a retreat from the politically engaged art that dominated the 30s. But, Escher was also fascinated by mathematics, and the clean lines and repetition in his art mirror the rise of standardization and mass production that marked European society at the time. Although he stands apart from other artists, Escher's work still speaks to the anxieties of his time. To further understand Escher's work, we can look at the mathematical and optical theories that informed his artistic practice, as well as the wider social context that shaped his unique vision.