Plane Filling I
1951
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
mezzotint
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1964.8.737
Art Historical Context
**Plane Filling I** (1951) by M.C. Escher captivates with its seamless tessellation of fantastical creatures, embodying the Dutch artist's lifelong fascination with mathematics and the infinite. Created during the post-World War II era, when Escher was at the height of his exploration into symmetry and visual paradoxes, this print showcases his genius for transforming complex geometric patterns into living, breathing forms. Birds, fish, and lizards interlock flawlessly across the plane, space without gaps or overlaps—a hallmark of Escher's "plane-filling" motifs inspired by Islamic art and cry...
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...