For this Art Wednesday we’ll look at every 7th grade boy’s favorite—M. C. Escher. Maurits Cornelius Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world’s most celebrated graphic artist, and an evergreen pop culture favorite.
Escher, Waterfall, 1961
Escher was drawn to design details—studying mosaics, currency, stamps, rugs, patterns, hidden images and symbols, the harmony of shapes. During his life, he made close to 2,500 lithographs, woodcuts, engravings, and sketches.
Escher, Bond of Union, 1956
Escher was a left-handed Dutch designer with a background in architecture. He was fascinated by the math and geometry of design, focusing much of his work on how one shape could morph into another.
Escher, Metamorphose II, 1939-40
MCEscher.com says, “In his work we recognize his excellent observation of the world around us and the expression of his own fantasy. M.C. Escher shows us that reality is wonderful, understandable, and fascinating.”
Escher, Hand with Reflecting Sphere, 1935
Escher is perhaps best known for his “impossible” drawings, like this one—a treatment of the “Penrose Stair,” first created by Oscar Penrose in 1937. Escher took the idea and pushed it further with his waterfall.
Escher, Ascending and Descending, 1960
It is hard to pass an Escher drawing without stopping to look. He was known for his Tessellations, the tiling of a plane using one or more shapes, which fit together with no overlap or no gaps.
Escher, Day and Night, 1938
I was never really good at geometry, but one of the things that draws me to Escher’s work is how it shows us there is order and structure everywhere. And Drawing Hands dips into philosophy—can a hand draw itself into existence?
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