Back 29 November 2017

Grasshopper

This week we had a slight change in terms of the works being exhibited. Some were returned to the archive and were replaced by a series of other works by Escher. One of these is Grasshopper, a wood engraving from March 1935. In very fine detail Escher shows a specimen of this winged insect with its powerful hind legs, compound eyes, antennae and folded wings.

M.C. Escher, Grasshopper, wood engraving, March 1935

Just as he did in his mezzotint Mummified frog, his wood engravings Scarabs and Libellula (Dragonfly) and the lithograph Ant, this is an example of how Escher holds a magnifying glass over a tiny creature. As if he is putting it on a pedestal. In this case literally: the insect stands on a mirroring surface in which the small details of its head, body and legs are reflected. The grasshopper radiates an unyielding presence, defying his tiny stature.

Erik Kersten Editor

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