Untitled

Untitled

M. C. Escher

1944

ink

From the collection of Museum of Modern Art

About this work

This image shows a strange, dreamlike scene with two groups of figures. On the left, dark, shadowy creatures with long arms and hair crawl on all fours. On the right, pale, skinny humans stand or crouch, some waving or reaching out. In the center, a ring of people balances on a curved line, forming a tower of bodies. Notice how the two groups never quite touch—there’s a clear divide between them. The artist used sharp contrasts between light and dark to make this separation stand out. If this style intrigues you, look up lithography to see how it creates such crisp, layered images.

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