Depth 1955

M.C. Escher made this tessellating print of fish using brown and black ink. What grabs me is the way he uses these lines to create depth. He wasn’t just slapping paint on a canvas, he was carving out a world, one tiny line at a time. You can really see the artist's hand in every single mark! There's an almost hypnotic quality to the way these fish seem to swim towards us, then away. The texture makes you think, how did he do that? Look closely at the belly of the largest fish. The way the brown lines curve and swell gives it volume, a real sense of form. It’s so simple, but so effective! Escher’s play with perception makes me think of Josef Albers, who also experimented with the psychology of shape, line and color. It makes you wonder about the endless possibilities of art and its ability to mess with our minds.