Vitorchiano nel Cimino 1925

M.C. Escher made this print of Vitorchiano nel Cimino, with swooping lines and a meticulous process of carving. Look how the dramatic landscape gives way to the small figure in the foreground, dwarfed by the scene but central to the composition. I love the way Escher uses the black and white to create such volume, especially in the gnarly tree on the right. Each branch, each leaf is carefully rendered, giving the tree a weight and presence that feels almost sculptural. The contrast between the dark, solid trunk and the light, airy leaves is really striking. It’s these contrasts that give the image its dynamism. Escher reminds me a bit of Piranesi, in the way he uses perspective to create these dizzying, vertiginous spaces. But where Piranesi is all about the grandeur of architecture, Escher is more interested in the way we perceive space and how we can play with those perceptions. Ultimately, it's all about opening our eyes to the endless possibilities of art.