Spirals
1953
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
wood engraving in black and gray-green, printed from two blocks
Dimensions
image: 27 x 33.2 cm (10 5/8 x 13 1/16 in.) sheet: 32.4 x 39.3 cm (12 3/4 x 15 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection
Accession Number
1974.28.52
Art Historical Context
Behold *Spirals* (1953), a wood engraving by Dutch artist M.C. Escher master of optical illusions and mathematical precision. from two blocks in black and gray-green inks, this 27 x 33.2 cm image exemplifies Escher's late-career fascination with repeating patterns and impossible geometries. Created just after World War II, reflects his shift toward intricate, self-sustaining designs inspired by nature's spirals—think nautilus shells or galaxies—transformed into hypnotic abstractions. Escher's wood engraving technique here: the use of multiple blocks allowed nuanced shading and depth, rare for...
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...