Whirlpools 1957

Here's M.C. Escher's Whirlpools. The interlocking pattern is a dizzying dance of red and grey fish swimming in contrary spirals. I can almost feel the artist’s concentration as he meticulously carved each line, wrestling with perspective to create this tessellated infinity. You can imagine Escher, lost in the puzzle of it all, patiently coaxing order from chaos, each fish finding its place within the larger composition. The red ones chase their tails one way, the grey the other, like thoughts chasing themselves. There's something hypnotic about this piece, the way it pulls you in, inviting you to contemplate the relationship between order and chaos, infinity and the finite. It feels like Escher is in conversation with artists like Bridget Riley, pushing and pulling at our perceptions, exploring the limits of what we can see and understand. It reminds you that art isn't just about what's on the surface, but about the endless possibilities that lie beneath.