San Giorgio in Vellabro [recto]
1934
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
carved woodblock
Dimensions
block: 31.43 × 23.18 cm (12 3/8 × 9 1/8 in.)
Classification
Technical Material
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Martin N. Rosen
Accession Number
1985.73.5.a
Art Historical Context
In 1934, Dutch artist M.C. Escher the ancient Roman church of San Giorgio in Velab on this intricately carved woodblock, recto side of a printing matrix now housed in the National Gallery Art. Escher, then in his early 30s, was deeply immersed in Italy's landscapes architecture, producing detailed woodcuts that blended realism with emerging geometric precision—a precursor to his later fame for impossible constructions and tessellations. This piece reflects his meticulous observation of historic sites during travels through southern Europe, just before political unrest forced his departure from...
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...