Scholastica (Flying Witch) 1931

M.C. Escher made this wood engraving, Scholastica (Flying Witch), and you can see how he used black ink to carve away the white parts of the block, a process of both adding and subtracting to make the image. Look at how the marks create texture, especially in the witch’s streaming hair and the feathery details of the broom. This isn't paint, but the feeling of movement is still there, like a brushstroke frozen in time. The linear patterns in the claws and goat are kind of mesmerizing. I always think about how an artist decides where to leave the white space. Here, it makes the witch almost transparent, ghostly, as if she is part of the night itself. It reminds me a bit of Dürer's prints, how he could create such depth and atmosphere with just black and white. Ultimately, art is about seeing and showing, and Escher does it in a way that keeps you looking, thinking, and wondering.