Snakes, fish and a whole lot of stairs - A tribute to M.C. Escher

I finally found the time to make another entry in this mini-series of Tributes to famous artists. Time to delve into ... M.C. Escher!

Let's try a simple chronological order, to allow tracking the evolution of his artistic focus. Some of his earliest work:

Tower of Babel, M.C. Escher, 1928, woodcut print
(remember these?)

Study of Alhambra tiling, M.C. Escher, 1936, pencil on paper

A more playful approach:

Sky and Water I, M.C. Escher, 1938, woodcut print

A further developed version of these tessellation patterns:

Study of Regular Division of the Plane with Reptiles, M.C. Escher, 1939, pencil and ink on paper

The iconic self-drawing hands:

Drawing Hands, M.C. Escher, 1948, lithograph

Another icon:

Relativity, M.C. Escher, 1953, lithograph

Waterfall, M.C. Escher, 1961, lithograph

His last work:

Snakes, M.C. Escher, 1969, woodcut print