Nocturnal Rome, Colosseum 1934

This is M.C. Escher’s ‘Nocturnal Rome, Colosseum’, a black and white print. You know, with printmaking, the process is everything; it’s about layering and building up an image bit by bit. What strikes me is the texture. The dark areas aren’t just flat; they’re alive with tiny marks, like a swarm of ants. And that one bright window, shining like a beacon, cuts through the darkness and pulls you in. It’s like a tiny stage set. Escher was so good at creating these impossible spaces that mess with your head but here he's embracing the real! It reminds me a bit of Piranesi’s etchings of Rome, all those dramatic shadows and crumbling ruins, but Escher adds his own twist. Both are obsessed with the architecture of Rome though, right? Anyway, it's an image that stays with you, like a half-remembered dream.