Emblemata - Beehive 1931

This print by M.C. Escher depicts a beehive, and it's all about labor, about industry. But look closely, and you see a storm is raging around it, slashing lines that threaten to disrupt the order. I imagine Escher, bent over the block, meticulously carving each line. There’s such intensity, such deliberateness, that I feel like he's trying to contain chaos, maybe mirroring his own inner turmoil. The black and white contrast is stark, no room for grays, just pure opposites battling it out. The beehive itself, so carefully constructed, stands for collective effort, but the Latin inscription "In Adversis Sedulitas Inepta" suggests that in the face of adversity, diligence is foolish. Maybe Escher is questioning the value of relentless work. And those slashing lines, they’re not just rain; they're doubt, fear, the unknown, the very things that can undo our best efforts. It’s like he’s saying, "We build, we strive, but there are forces beyond our control." Escher leaves us hanging between order and chaos, work and futility.