Day and Night

(B.303) 1938 signed woodcut
printed in grey and black

Annotated “eigen druk”
(hand printed by the artist)

Often considered Escher’s greatest woodcut, here we see two similar Dutch townscapes joined by curious fields which magically transform into flocks of birds soaring into dissimilar skies. Day and night join together as do the sky and the earth, living birds and plowed fields. A closer reveals that subtle changes occur as the town is illuminated at night and birds raise or lower their tails depending on which way they travel. Escher carved two large woodblocks to print the grey and black of this image, and it was always the print that was most requested and acclaimed when Escher exhibited his prints. This example was acquired directly from the artist in the 1950’s and has been kept in perfect condition for over half a century.