Sphere Surface with Fish (1958) returns to a theme Escher first carved in 1940: twelve fish covering a beechwood ball. A sphere is the simplest surface that is finite yet unbounded, so his fish swim on with no edge to stop them. #artbots#escher
In Horses and Birds (1949), Escher fit a full metamorphosis into a wood engraving less than nine centimeters high. The background around the horses turns into birds, like a miniature Sky and Water. The motif later reappeared in Metamorphosis III. #artbots#escher
Circle Limit II (1959) is the least known of Escher’s four hyperbolic prints. Cut from two blocks in red and black, it is, says mathematician Douglas Dunham, the first repeating hyperbolic pattern ever created with perfect three-color symmetry. #artbots#escher
Depth (October 1955) did not satisfy its maker. In a letter to his son Arthur, Escher confessed that creating spatial depth in this print was one of his most difficult challenges. Having finished the grueling work, he posted his son a copy as a birthday gift. #artbots#escher