Scholastica (Flying Witch) 1931

M.C. Escher pulled this woodcut print, Scholastica, probably in the mid-20th century. The mark-making is like an elaborate system of dark and light codes, a kind of occulted, carved script. Imagine him pushing the gouge into the block of wood, the physical effort of the hand and eye working together, removing material to conjure this dark vision of folklore and superstition. I can almost feel Escher's hand as he's carving, a steady, deliberate hand, but also, I imagine, with a sense of humor. Look at the witch's face, a mix of glee and ghoulishness as she races through the night sky! Then there's the intricate rendering of the rooftops below, each tile and gable meticulously described. It makes you think of the labor involved in craft and the imaginative possibilities that can emerge when art combines obsessive detail with flights of fancy. Escher was an artist who, like a lot of other artists, was clearly inspired by others who came before. This print feels like a nod to the great Northern European engravers like Dürer, but with a 20th-century twist of surrealism. Like many artists, he’s having a conversation across time, and across mediums, reminding us that art is always a process of exchange and transformation.