Encounter

Bool 331

Lithograph  13 1/2 by 18 1/4 in.

 

    Escher believed that in the world of the the graphic artist, gray represented nothingness.  The fringes of this image start gray, and from the mist black and white two-dimensional figures arise.  This is the very process Escher described years later in his book The Regular Division of the Plane.  

 

   In this case, the figures become that of the pessimist and optimist.  The two beings emerge from their tessellated two-dimensional surface to shake hands; the pessimist appears to be giving a warning, whereas the optimist is happy as can be.  

    

    Encounter was one of Escher’s early tessellation lithographs and also one of his most popular.  This large arwork is a cornerstone of any Escher collection.  

 

    This lithograph is in excellent condition with wide margins.  It is pencil signed and numbered by Escher himself. 

 

    Please email or call to inquire.