Church Domes 1934

This print, "Church Domes," was made by M.C. Escher, using wood engraving. This painstaking, meticulous technique involves carving an image into the end grain of a block of wood, then inking the surface to create a relief print. The image consists of a grid that overlays an architectural scene. Each tiny square must be individually cut away to create the image. This allows for incredibly fine detail and tonal variation. The domes themselves, rendered with remarkable precision, show Escher's mastery of perspective and his ability to create depth and dimension on a flat surface. The method of production, requiring hours of labor, speaks to a pre-industrial sensibility, even though the subject is architectural, and therefore tied to the expansion of cities, consumption, and building. Consider the tension between the graphic and the sculptural, the mechanical and the handmade, and the traditional and the modern, all of which co-exist in this compelling print.