Knots
1965
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut in black
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Seymour and Iris Schwartz Collection
Accession Number
1978.90.26
Art Historical Context
In 1965, Dutch artist M.C. Escher createdKnots*, a striking woodcut in black from the National Gallery of Art Seymour and Iris Schwartz Collection. Escher, renowned for his mind-bending prints that fuse mathematics, geometry, and illusion, produced this work late in his career at age 67. The piece exemplifies his fascination with interlocking forms, transforming simple knots into mesmerizing, ribbon-like structures that weave endlessly across the plane—a hallmark of his tessellation mastery. Printed as a pure black woodcut, *Knots* showcases the medium's dramatic potential: intricate carving ...
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...