M.C. Escher Masterworks

All discussed works can be seen in person at the Artists Market in Norwalk Ct. For information on buying and selling original Escher Artwork please email JP@artistsmarket.com.

The Second Day of Creation (B.105)

1926 wood engraving Of all Escher’s early work, this print is unique in both its concept and the complexity of its patterning. As the ocean separates from the skies before our eyes, a myriad of lines and shapes sweep us up in the power of creation and creativity. The lines show both Asian influences and the power of the woodcut art. This rare edition was commissioned by VAEVO, The Netherlands Society for Education Through Art, whose red insignia stamp can be seen in the upper left corner.

The Four Elements: Water, Drawing and Woodblock Print (B.345)

1952 Drawing ex collection of the M. C. Escher Foundation and previously on loan to the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Holland. This drawing is remarkable in that it is one of the only Escher drawings in private hands which relates to a matching print. Here, Escher has brilliantly designed fish which interlock in a design that visually ripples like water flowing in a rocky stream. Strens was a print connoisseur and collector who commissioned Escher to create a set of four prints representing the ancient elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water. These prints were presented to Strens’ circle of friends and colleagues as treasured gifts celebrating the new year from 1953 to 1956.

Scarabs (B.273)

1935 wood engraving These curious creatures, sometimes known as dung beetles, gave Escher an opportunity to render the reflections of shiny shells, precise details, and a complex textured background. The artist wrote, “in order to see it well, I had to draw it!” This example was printed in 1940 for a portfolio of Escher’s work published by the arts journal ‘Halcyon’.

Isometric Graph with Interlocking Fish and Flying Envelopes

Pencil drawing, ca. 1955-1956 ex collection of the M. C. Escher Foundation and previously on loan to the Gemeentemuseum, The Hague, Holland Escher brought to life three separate symmetry motifs in this most unusual drawing on triangular graph paper. The six birds appeared as a wood engraving vignette in 1954 (B.398), the hexagonal fish were the subject of a wood engraving in 1955 (B. 406), and the little flying envelopes appeared both in a small print commissioned by the Dutch Post Office in 1956 (B.412) and again in Metamorphosis III of 1967 (B.446). This unique frame follows the shape of Escher’s drawing.

The Bookworm (B. 347)

1946 wood engraving For Albert Bosman, a mathematician, this bookworm rises from a book, and the pattern on his back echoes the shapes of the text just as his curves follow the folds of the pages.