M.C. Escher (1898-1972)

Fish and Frogs, 1949
Wood engraving
3.25 x 2.75 in (8.26 x 6.98 cm)
Price on Request
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Limited-edition Initialed "MCE" in the plate far middle left
Catalogue raisonné: Bool #364

Related to Escher’s masterpiece “Verbum,” this rare and charming print is one of only three small-format works that combine interlocking forms in three-dimensional space. Illustrating the interconnections of water and land was central to many of Escher’s greatest works and here those themes are played out with an elegance and intimate whimsy that is at once charming and deeply meaningful. The small fish that swim around their interlocking counterparts are especially playful, and these underscore Escher’s feeling that designs such as this were ‘little games,’ although they also touch on the mysterious connections that are fundamental to creation itself.