M.C ESCHER (Dutch, 1898 - 1972). DAG EN NACHT (Day and Night), 1938, Woodcut in black and gray, printed from two blocks. Printed by the artist. Initialed and dated in the woodblock MCE II - '38, upper right. Pencil signed "M. C. Escher" and inscribed 'eigen druk' at base, on tissue-thin Japan paper; unframed.
- image: 39.2 x 67.6 cm (15 7/16 x 26 5/8 in.) / Sheet: 49.5 x 77.3 cm (19 1/2 x 30 7/16 in.) Estimate $25,000-35,000
PROVENANCE: Acquired from Washington DC's Mickelson's Fine Picture Framing and Gallery, circa 1965; then by descent.
LITERATURE" Illustrated and documented as No. 303 in "M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work" by Flip Bool et al., published by Harry N. Abrams, Inc., New York, 1992, pg. 273.
FOOTNOTE: Dutch artist and mathematician M.C. Escher created 'Day and Night' in 1938. This stimulating, yet intriguing work of art is a masterful demonstration of symmetrical opposites, resulting in an artistic puzzle that captivates the viewer. The left side of the painting shows a daytime setting within which a long, winding canal running through a small city is bright white, lit up by the daylight sky. The right side of the painting displays the exact opposite: a night scene of the same angle, wherein the canal and sky are black, including the miniature city. Beginning at the centre of the landscape, white birds from the daylight emerge into the fold of the night sky, while the dark birds of night flock to the daytime sky. The whole creates a bewildering pattern of black and white tiles in the center of the image, a composition that delivers a unique positive-negative geometric aspect to 'Day and Night'.
CONDITION REPORT: Some mat-stains and occasional soft creases (all outside the image) on the right hand and upper side of the paper. Some unobtrusive rippling, some light abrasion at near sheet corners, otherwise in good condition.
