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M.C. Escher Dutch, 1898 - 1972 Wild West, 1920 woodcut, image: 35.7 x 17.5 cm (14 1/16 x 6 7/8 in.) sheet: 37.6 x 20.8 cm (14 13/16 x 8 3/16 in.) Seymour and Iris Schwartz Collection All M.C. Escher works © Cordon Art-Baarn-the Netherlands. Used by permission. All rights reserved. 1978.90.25 |
Object 2 of 24
Escher's early interest in the sharp contrast between black and white is apparent in this woodcut. It also presents ideas that he fully developed later in his career, such as the interlocking and patternlike forms seen in the audience that is depicted here.
The woodcut is a relief process. First a drawing is made on a block of wood that has been cut along the grain. A knife and chisel are then used to remove the wood on either side of the drawn lines, leaving the print surface raised above the areas to remain blank. In his early period Escher also frequently used linoleum cuts as a print medium, in which the same technique is employed as in a woodcut.
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