Circle Limit II
1959
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut in red and black, printed from two blocks
Dimensions
image (diameter): 41.7 cm (16 7/16 in.) sheet: 49.7 x 47.3 cm (19 9/16 x 18 5/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection
Accession Number
1974.28.78
Art Historical Context
**Circle Limit II** (1959) is a mesmerizing woodcut print by Dutch artist M.C. Escher renowned for his intricate mathematical patterns and impossible geometries. Created late in Escher's career, this circular composition—measuring 41.7 cm in diameter—exempl his fascination with tessellations and non-Euclidean geometry. Housed in the National Gallery Art's Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection it invites viewers into a hypnotic world where forms multiply infinitely toward the edges, challenging perceptions of space and infinity. Printed from two blocks in striking red and black, the woodcut me...
About the Artist
M.C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was a Dutch graphic artist renowned for his mathematically-inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints featuring impossible constructions, tessellations, and explorations of infinity. Though he considered himself lacking in mathematical ability, Escher's work demonstrates profound intuitive understanding of geometry, symmetry, and spatial paradox. A transform...