Skull 1917

Curator: Before us we have "Skull", a graphite drawing completed by M.C. Escher in 1917. Editor: Well, that's…cheerful! I get a heavy, slightly morbid feeling. I like how the skull sort of emerges out of a dark, undefined space. It gives it a sense of mystery. Curator: Indeed. This work demonstrates a clear engagement with symbolism, and in particular the *memento mori* tradition. Escher uses the stark contrast of the monochrome medium to create an allegorical reference on mortality. Consider, also, the geometric qualities inherent in the composition and how it conveys a rigid framework. Editor: Yes, you can really see the symbolism poking through! The skull itself is rendered so clinically. You’ve got the sense of this hard geometric frame around the darkness behind it. The whole work looks as though Escher wants to put death in a box… a very dark box. Curator: An astute observation. Semiotics also gives us an access point for considering negative space. What meanings do you think are generated by the blank background, and the fact that the skull is slightly off-centre? Editor: Off-balance maybe? It throws everything off, deliberately I reckon. That emptiness… you think it might lighten the mood, but to me, it’s an echo of total absence. Bit unsettling if I’m honest. Curator: Precisely! The structure supports this unsettling ambiguity. Consider the detail, too. The artist even includes an inscription, close to the upper edge. That’s very unusual! Editor: Huh, didn’t notice that… barely visible. Well, putting it all together, the tight composition, the heavy contrast and symbolism - maybe Escher was meditating on the fleeting nature of things, trying to catch time itself on paper? Curator: Perhaps. By giving attention to both its objective artistic qualities and our own subjective experiences of the artwork, we can understand how much "Skull" continues to fascinate us. Editor: Yes. And maybe go find something a bit less likely to cause nightmares now!