95 M.C. Escher (1898-1972) ‘Ant’ / ‘Mier’
Created in 1943, ‘Ant / Mier’ marks a moment of striking simplicity within Escher’s production. Isolated against a stark, bare background, the insect epitomises a meticulous study of one of world’s most industrious creatures. Its anatomy, texture, and movement are rendered with such precision that the insect is exposed with an almost ruthless clarity to the viewer’s scrutiny. The singularity portrayed by the subject reveals the deep fascination with natural forms and Escher’s ability to transform even the smallest subject into a compelling object of contemplation. In its singularity, the small insect becomes a profound object of contemplation, embodying a quiet, almost elemental force: the tension between isolation and power, a miniature testament to nature’s relentless need for order. Throughout his career, Maurits Cornelis Escher, navigated the tension between irregular patterns and tessellation, two-dimensionality versus tridimensionality, chaos versus order. His formative years in Italy (1923-1935), were crucial in shaping his vision. He gradually shifted his focus from landscapes and architecture to systematically analysed themes that, as he once remarked, “have more in common with mathematicians than with fellow artists.” Escher became totally engaged with the country’s diverse landscapes and historic architecture, particularly the spectacular towns along the Amalfi Coast and the hills surrounding Rome. He was fascinated by the interplay of built structures and natural forms, which offered him complex geometric patterns to explore in his art. Works such as ‘Atrani, Coast of Amalfi’ (1931), The Bridge (1930), and ‘Montecelio’ (1924) showcase his meticulous attention to perspective, capturing the steep streets, clustered buildings, and cascading stairways with mathematical precision. These compositions reveal his early experimentation with spatial relationships, foreshadowing the optical illusions and impossible structures that would define his later work. A decisive moment in his artistic trajectory came during his second visit to the Alhambra in Granada in 1936. While his initial visit in 1922 had introduced him to the intricate Islamic designs of the palace, it was during this return trip that he began to deeply engage with the mathematical properties underlying these patterns. In a 1941 article for De Delver, Escher reflected: “Although at the time [first visit in Alhambra in 1922] I was mainly interested in free graphic art, I periodically returned to the mental gymnastics of my puzzles. […] This is partly the reason why it was not until 1936, that I spent a larger part of my time puzzling with animal shapes.” The 1940s saw Escher continue to develop his signature explorations of transformation and perspective. Works such as Day and Night (1938) (also present in this auction, lot 93) and Sky and Water I (1938–1940) reveal his growing preoccupation with tessellation and the gradual transformation of forms. Within this context, Ant stands apart: it is a rare example from this decade in which Escher privileges direct observation over optical illusion, focusing on the singularity of a living creature rather than a complex system of visual interplay. Through this diminutive subject, Escher’s enduring fascination with structural natural forms and his ability to transform the mundane into the extraordinary present him as a visionary who finds infinity in the smallest forms.
signed and numbered in pencil ‘M.C. Escher No. 7/20’ (lower left); dated and signed with initials in the plate ‘V-’43/MCE’ (lower right)
lithograph, 182x249 mm (full sheet 320x375 mm)
Executed in May 1943.
€70,000 - €100,000
Literature: -F.H. Bool, J.R. Kist, J.L. Locher and F. Wierda, ‘M.C. Escher: His life and complete graphic work’, New York 1981, ill. p. 284, no. 328. Provenance: -In the collection of the family of the present owner for circa 80 years.
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