Whirlpools 1957

M.C. Escher made this woodcut print titled "Whirlpools" sometime in the last century, and it’s a trip, right? I mean, he takes these basic shapes, and puts them into a repetitive system, a rigorous kind of infinity. Look how the fish are all interlocking, like a puzzle that never ends. The red ones swim one way, the grey ones the other. He gets this amazing texture with simple hatching; parallel lines used to create areas of tone, that build the illusion of depth and movement, a push and pull that keeps your eye dancing across the surface. I love how this simple technique can create such an intense visual experience. Escher’s work has echoes of Islamic art, with it’s repeating geometric patterns. But he’s also like a mathematical mystic, translating complex ideas into images that mess with your brain in the best possible way. His art is about showing us that things aren’t always what they seem, and that perception is just another kind of construction, which is an idea that is endlessly interesting to me.