Contrast (Order and Chaos)

1950 · Print

Can I see it?

Not on view at present

Where is “Contrast (Order and Chaos)” now? Collection: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C. Not on view at present. Checked September 29, 2026.

National Gallery of Art

Washington, D.C., United States

It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.

Checked: 13 days ago
In this state since: Aug 19, 2026
Source: The museum

On the map Museum page

Details

Accession number: 1964.8.749

What it shows

Still life Bottle Shell Geometric

In the catalog

Prints Lithograph Post-war art 20th century Dutch

Sources

National Gallery of Art
Image: National Gallery of Art — © the artist or rights holder

In the life of Maurits Cornelis Escher

The whole life

1946–1951
Mezzotint: a brief experiment
In 1946 Escher became interested in intaglio printing, but it took too much time: until 1951 he made no more than seven mezzotint prints and never returned to intaglio, preferring tonal contrast to linear outline. These few works are considered masterpieces of the technique.
1949
Rotterdam: a large exhibition of graphic work
In 1949 Escher and two other artists held a large exhibition of their graphic work in Rotterdam; several works were sold, and the artists explained how they were made — Escher, for instance, said that for “Reptiles” he modelled a small plasticine figure and moved it across a table.
1950
The first solo exhibition in the USA
In 1950 Escher’s first solo exhibition in the USA was held in Washington; sales of his work in America rose sharply — in the mid-1950s he sold 150 prints through a Washington dealer for $2,125. In the 1950s Escher also became a popular public lecturer.
1951
“Time” and “Life”: worldwide fame
After two articles Escher became known in the USA: in late 1950 Israel Shenker, a correspondent of the British magazine “The Studio”, interviewed him (published in February 1951), and then “Time” (2 April) and “Life” (7 May) wrote about him. Popular in Europe but little known in America, the artist gained worldwide fame from that moment.

All works