Mummified Frog 1946

This is M.C. Escher's ‘Mummified Frog,’ made in 1946 using lithography. Look at the smooth gradations of tone, the way the light falls across the frog's skeletal form! I can almost feel Escher at the lithography stone, carefully building up these delicate textures, one layer at a time. What was he thinking as he worked? Was he fascinated by the contrast between life and death, or simply drawn to the challenge of rendering such intricate detail? That single eye staring out at us - is it accusing, or just observing? It reminds me of Holbein's "The Ambassadors," with its hidden skull. Escher’s playing with the same ideas of mortality. Painters have always been drawn to the macabre, and that is something that connects us across time, always learning from each other. I find solace in the fact that, as artists, we're all part of this ongoing conversation.