The artwork under discussion is an excerpt from “Metamorphosis II” by M.C. Escher, created in 1939. This piece is part of the “Metamorphosis” series and belongs to the Op Art movement, showcasing Escher’s mastery in the genre of tessellation. The title, artist, and year capture the fascinating transition implicit in the concept of metamorphosis, while the style speaks to the optical playfulness key to Op Art.
In the artwork, the process of transformation is meticulously captured through geometric and text patterns that evolve across the plane. The composition begins with a black and white checkerboard pattern that meticulously transitions into a design where the word “METAMORPHOSE” is arranged in a staggered format. This artistic decision transforms the straightforward square blocks into a more complex set of shapes. The letters themselves hold a visual rhythm, indicative of the successive stages of metamorphosis, as if depicting the very process of change within its textual representation. As the viewer’s eyes traverse the work, the experience Escher creates is not just of observing a static image, but participating in a visual journey—a hallmark of his exploratory and innovative approach to art. The artwork encapsulates the idea of continuous transformation, a theme that resonated through Escher’s opus, and presents it through the meticulous precision and enchanting illusionism for which he is renowned.