Cobwebs
1931
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut//poem ("Spinrag") is on same sheet to right of woodcut
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Seymour and Iris Schwartz Collection
Accession Number
1981.80.4
Art Historical Context
Discover the intricate world of **Cobwebs (Spinrag)**, a captivating 1931 woodcut by Dutch artist M.C. Escher, housed in the National Gallery of's Seymour and Iris Schwartz Collection. Created during Escher's formative years in Italy, this print exemplifies his mastery of woodcut techniques—a labor-intensive relief printing method where the artist carves away negative space from a wood block, inking the raised surfaces to produce stark contrasts and exquisite detail. Escher's precision here captures the delicate geometry of a spider's web, suspended in ethereal tension, hinting at the mathemat...
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...