M.C. Escher Masterworks

Welcome to Exciting World of Escher Masterworks

Escher created many masterworks in his lifetime. Many of these can be found in the few public exhibits around the world. Below Gallerist Jeffery Price discusses some of Eschers most famous works in detail to give us an idea of the importance of each individual piece. 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.

Ringsnakes (B.448)

1969 woodcut in brown, green, and black Signed and noted ‘eigen druk’ (self-printed) This is Escher’s last print, his masterpiece. After a lifetime spent making things visible that we see with our minds as well as our eyes, Escher faced a monumental struggle to bring his last artwork to completion. His health failing, he feared he would not live long enough to carve and print the three woodblocks that were required to create this masterpiece. “Ringsnakes” is complex in structure, execution, and meaning; expressing the duality of natural and perfect forms, the unity of all creation, and a sublime realization of the infinite. Each ring intertwines with others, both larger and smaller. Only where Escher’s rings reach their largest size can they be inhabited by living creatures. The linked chains of “Ringsnakes” illustrate a pathway to and from infinity, interwoven with serpentine creatures whose writhing undulations unite them as they circumnavigate the cosmos and weave together perfection with the every-changing power of life. “Ringsnakes” stands as the triumphant legacy of an artist who labored tirelessly in solitude and with endless diligence to express the wonders our eyes perceive and our mind struggles to comprehend.

Cycle (B.305)

1938 lithograph, signed and numbered 3/12 Here we see a boy running from a tower and down some steps. His arms are raised in a somewhat awkward salutation, and he’s smiling, perhaps in secret reverie. His journey is short and yet this passage encompasses his entire world. As he descends the stairs a transformation occurs that is as miraculous as any myth. In a few steps he metamorphosizes into marble and what was once an actor becomes his stage. Beyond the tower is a serene landscape, perhaps part of the Tuscan countryside or maybe a small portion of paradise. “Cycle” can be seen as an archetypal image of the universe created from our own being. Is everything our imagining? Where does our interior landscape end and the countryside begin? What is the essential difference between body and stone, and why can we find soul in one and not the other? By raising such fascinating questions, perhaps Escher proposes that everything from the distant hills to our outstretched hands is a part of a complex, ever-changing and often invisible cycle.

Smaller and Smaller (B.413)

This is the most detailed of all Escher prints, the ultimate expression of his craft’s ability to capture the mysterious power of the infinite. We can find connections in this design to Tibetan mandala art, Inuit totems, and Islamic patterning. To achieve the precision needed for this print, Escher used high-powered magnification, special lighting, and minute tools. Escher added a band of surrounding lizards to this center-block design, but it was the intense central block print we see here which Escher reproduced in his book ‘The Graphic Work of M. C. Escher.’