Atrani, Coast of Amalfi 1931

Curator: M.C. Escher's "Atrani, Coast of Amalfi," an ink drawing completed in 1931, captures a stunning cityscape clinging to the cliffs of the Italian coast. There's a striking geometric quality to it. Editor: My first impression is of organized chaos! The density of buildings packed together, all those steps and passageways, makes you wonder what kind of social life exists in that tightly wound little space. It’s almost dizzying, but beautiful, of course. Curator: The precise ink lines emphasize the imposing structure of this built environment, creating a world unto itself. There is the recurring image of the labyrinth, a favorite of Escher's and many others who want to represent life's journey, and the image suggests how a society creates those pathways that each member must tread. The interplay of light and shadow also carries symbolic weight; what hides in darkness? What becomes illuminated through awareness? Editor: Exactly. Atrani, the real village, likely dictated much of that forced intimacy in his composition. Consider the political landscape then, though. Italy in the 1930s... Escher, a Dutchman, capturing this dense, almost fortress-like town. Was he making some kind of commentary on Italian society, about enclosure? The Church definitely has a central location in the physical sense, as well as probably in the socio-political. Curator: Interesting that you frame it that way! While Escher mostly resisted reading socio-political context into his work, your points make it impossible not to ponder. Those high, interconnected stairways do also have the image of ascending from mundane to sublime, a journey from ground-level to religious enlightenment. The physical structures mirror spiritual concepts. Editor: I think he understood he was capturing something real about Italian life, but filtered through his particular sensibilities and training. Perhaps the density reminded him of the urban anxieties that Europe would feel throughout that time, regardless of nation or state. We cannot resist our present while looking at these kinds of historic artworks. Curator: Absolutely, it offers a unique vantage point into how artists perceive and portray our constructed world and internal ones too, the shadows inside our mind, that can feel claustrophobic at times. Editor: Well, whatever the reading, it is certain the people of Atrani surely lived exciting and unique lives, just due to the kind of architecture. And it gave Escher the chance to become one of history’s greatest.