Symmetry Watercolor 94 Fish 1955

Editor: Okay, next up we have M.C. Escher’s "Symmetry Watercolor 94 Fish" from 1955, done in watercolor. It’s… a hypnotic tessellation of fish, blue and orange, packed together like sardines! What am I even looking at? It feels like a delightful optical illusion. How do you interpret this work? Curator: It’s funny you mention sardines! To me, it's a visual game, Escher at his playful best. The way he locks those fish together, you see how mathematics can become poetry, doesn't it? I wonder, do you get a sense of movement, even though it's static? Or is it just a clever puzzle? Editor: It is moving… kind of. Like they are all swimming but going nowhere? It’s beautiful, though a bit anxiety-inducing if I'm honest. Knowing he was so into math kind of… deflates some of the artistic mood? Curator: But isn't that interesting in itself? It is true that some people find comfort in geometry while others squirm, so Escher offers both. How does it strike you knowing watercolor – a medium traditionally about fluidity and lightness – is used here for such rigid precision? Isn't there an enchanting contradiction? Editor: Definitely! It is like he is bending reality, or like trying to hold water. Thanks, I think I have a better sense of what is going on. Curator: My pleasure! I think Escher really reminds us that art can be a journey, both intellectual and emotional.