M.C. ESCHER
By Colin Aguilar
Period 4
5/4/15
LIFE OF M.C. ESCHER
Born on June 17, 1898, in
Leeuwarden, Netherlands, illustrator
M.C. Escher developed a print and
engraving style that distinctively
played with orientation and space.
Influenced by Moorish designs in
Spain, works like "Day and Night"
featured interlocking forms and
transformation on a surreal canvas.
Later embraced by both artistic and
math/science communities, Escher
died on March 27, 1972.
RELATIVITY
•
•
Printed December 1953
Lithograph
This is one of Escher’s most popular
works and has been used in a variety of
ways, as it can be appreciated both
artistically and scientifically.
Interrogations about perspective and
the representation of threedimensional images in a twodimensional picture are at the core of
Escher's work, and Relativity represents
one of his greatest achievements in
this domain.
DRAWING HANDS
• Printed 1948
• Lithograph
This artwork is yet another
mathematically inspired piece of
work. It shows both very simple and
extremely three-dimensional features,
as well as an abstract idea (hands
drawing each other).
HAND WITH REFLECTING
SPHERE
• Printed January 1935
• Lithograph
The piece is also known as SelfPortrait in Spherical Mirror. It
depicts a hand holding a reflective
sphere. In the reflection, most of the
room around Escher can be seen,
and the hand holding the sphere is
revealed to be Escher’s.
Self-portraits in reflective, spherical
surfaces are common in Escher’s
work.
THREE SPHERES II
•
•
Printed April 1946
Lithograph
The sphere on the left is transparent with
a photorealistic depiction of
the refracted light cast through it towards
the viewer and onto the flat surface. The
sphere in the center is reflective.
Its reflection is a self-replicating image of
Escher in his studio drawing the three
spheres. In the reflection one can clearly
see the image of the three spheres on the
paper Escher is drawing on: in the center
sphere of that image, one can vaguely make
out the reflection of Escher's studio, which
is depicted in the main image. This process
is implied to be infinite, recursive.
HOMAGE
My Piece
E s c h e r ’s P i e c e
REFLECTION
Overall, it was really fun to do some research on such an interesting artist like
Escher. It was pretty cool that he applied various mathematical concepts to his
artworks and made visually appealing pieces of art. Them being threedimensional also adds a nice factor to them. Though he died in 1972, his
artworks will be an artistic and mathematical example for many years to come.
Artist’s Website: http://www.mcescher.com/