Street in Scanno, Abruzzi 1946

M.C. Escher made this print of a street in Scanno using a wood engraving. Look at the granular texture, where the marks aren't just lines, but tiny, insistent dots, creating a field of dark and light. It reminds me that artmaking is like a dance, a give-and-take between the artist and the material. Notice how he renders the light. The way it casts these strange geometric shadows. The shadows are shapes in themselves, solid things. I like the way the solid and void create rhythm. It’s a way of thinking about seeing, making you aware of how your eye pieces together the world. Escher’s work always felt a little like magic, or rather, like a thought experiment. It's the kind of image that sticks with you, urging you to question what you see, and how you see it. If you like this, you should check out some of the work of Piranesi - another master of light and shadow and the art of the possible!