Railway Bridge, Oosterbeek 1917

M.C. Escher made this print of the Railway Bridge, Oosterbeek with careful, deliberate marks. This image seems to embody a process of careful observation, where mark-making becomes a form of thinking. The bridge is rendered through a dense network of lines, giving it a palpable weight and texture. You can almost feel the cold metal and rough stone. The choice of black ink heightens the emotional impact, contrasting the man-made structure against the softness of the sky and water. Notice how the horizontal lines suggest the movement of water, while the bridge's solidity is conveyed through short, vertical strokes. The sky feels more diffuse as though it has been smudged with a cloth, or perhaps this effect is produced by the grain of the printmaking plate. Like Piranesi's architectural fantasies, there's something obsessive about this image. It feels like Escher is not just depicting a bridge, but exploring the idea of structure itself. Art, like a bridge, connects different places, ideas, and times. It's a conversation, a journey, and a continuous process of discovery.