Flor de Pascua - La Pensee 1921

M.C. Escher created this woodcut in black and white called Flor de Pascua - La Pensee and it shows a flower that’s kind of looking back at you, maybe even judging you. I’m picturing Escher hunched over a block of wood, carefully carving away at it with his tools, a world of optical illusion taking shape with each line. The flower’s petals curl and twist in a way that feels both organic and strangely architectural. The linear quality makes me think about the way the artist meticulously crafted the image with hatching and cross-hatching to create areas of light and shadow. It almost vibrates with energy! The flower almost has a face, and its gaze is intense. What was Escher thinking when he came up with that? It reminds me of the work of other printmakers and graphic artists like Aubrey Beardsley and Hokusai, but with a unique twist. It's like Escher's saying that artists are always in conversation, borrowing and riffing off each other's ideas. What kind of conversations will this artwork inspire in you?