Tree 1926

This is ‘Tree’ by M.C. Escher, made using a woodcut print. Look at Escher’s process. You can imagine his hand moving across the wood, carving out these lines, each cut a decision. The thing that strikes me is the stark contrast, the black and white, and how he creates texture within that limitation. Notice the horizontal lines in the background, like water, and then the vertical lines that make up the rock. Look at the way he uses these lines to create form, to give shape to the tree and the rock. It’s almost architectural, like he’s building these objects out of marks. The tree itself, with its hanging branches, feels like a melancholic gesture, a kind of slow, drooping movement. It reminds me of the precision and the almost obsessive detail you see in the work of someone like Dürer. But Escher is taking that precision and turning it towards something more playful, something more about perception and the tricks of the eye. It's not just about what you see, but how you see it.