Flor de Pascua - Theosophy 1921

Editor: This is M.C. Escher’s “Flor de Pascua - Theosophy,” created in 1921 using woodcut printmaking. It’s incredibly striking. I’m curious, with your expertise, how do you interpret this work? Curator: From a materialist perspective, the woodcut medium is key. Escher's choice of a relatively inexpensive and readily available material reflects a democratization of art, moving away from the elite materials associated with high art. What does the high contrast between black and white tell you? Editor: Well, it emphasizes the form and also the process of carving and removing material, I suppose. It’s stark. Curator: Precisely. Consider the labor involved: the physical act of carving the wood block, the repetitive motions, the direct engagement with the material. Also note that he has another version where he named it "The Rooster". What social narratives are revealed in a rural economy centered on agriculture and how does his making methods emphasize and reflect such stories? Editor: So you are asking if the labor of carving wood reflects or critiques other kinds of labor, for instance farm labor. Curator: In a way. Further consider how this print might have been distributed, the role of printing presses, and the access different social classes would have had to such imagery. Does the image become an artifact, valued more for the process of making instead of being only "decorative"? Editor: I hadn't thought of that. I tend to consider it visually or even thematically, and less how it was actually *made*. Seeing the connection to material production has broadened my understanding. Curator: And how its circulation as a mass-produced print potentially challenged traditional art market hierarchies. Material conditions shaped its very existence and continue to influence our interpretation of it. Editor: Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I understand better now.