Eye 1946

M.C. Escher made this drawing of an eye, with who knows what, using graphite, and it’s a real head trip. I find it so striking how he manages to create such a sense of depth and texture with simple mark-making. Escher uses shading to describe the roundness of the eye, and look closely at the lower lid, see how he uses short, deliberate strokes to describe the fleshy texture? It's like he’s mapping the landscape of the face. What's wild is how the reflection in the eye becomes a window into something unexpected, something darker. That skull staring back at you is a total mind-bender! It’s a simple visual trick, but Escher is playing with perception and reality. This piece reminds me a bit of Magritte, both artists questioning what we see, and how we see it. Is it unsettling? Maybe. Is it brilliant? Absolutely.