M.C. Escher in Rome, Part II

The Escher exhibit, which I discussed in my previous post, shows the transition of his beautiful early work into something altogether new and inventive. I came away from this exhibit with a new appreciation for this artist’s work.

Close-up of Metamorphosis III, 1968. Bugs become fish.

 

Regular Division of the Plane, 1957, where red knights on horseback change to white.

Everything starts moving.

Day and Night, 1938

Then, the world starts spinning.

Close-up, Smaller and Smaller, 1956

 

Reptiles, 1943

 

Mobius Strip II, 1963

 

Stars, 1948

All the while, Escher’s draftsmanship remains stellar. There were pieces I was familiar with, but also many exquisite works I’d never seen before!

Close-up of Metamorphosis III, 1968. Love these beautiful bees on flowers.

 

Close-up of Other World, 1947

 

Rind, 1955

 

Puddle, 1952

 

Three worlds, 1955

His work builds into the tantalizing optical illusions he is well known for — many of which harken back to those early works of buildings in Italy.

Waterfall, 1961

 

Close-up of Relativity Lattice, 1953

 

Ascending & Descending, 1960

His last work, which I was not familiar with, is breathtaking.

Close-up of Snakes, 1969

 

Snakes, 1969. Even closer.

Beyond Escher’s evocative works, the exhibition had yet more marvelous things in store. More on that in Part III.

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