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| '''Maurits Cornelis Escher''' (], ] - ], ]) was a ] artist most known for his ]s and ], which tend to feature impossible constructions, explorations of ], and interlocking geometric patterns which change gradually into completely different forms. | '''Maurits Cornelis Escher''' (], ] - ], ]) was a ] artist most known for his ]s and ], which tend to feature impossible constructions, explorations of ], and interlocking geometric patterns which change gradually into completely different forms. | ||
| He was born in ], the ], as the youngest son of hydraulics engineer G. A. Escher. In ], the family moved to ], where he went to a grammar school from the age of 13 on. Later, from ], Escher attended the ] School of Architecture and Decorative Arts; he studied architecture briefly, but then made a switch to decorative arts, studying under ], an artist which he kept contact with until de Mesquita and his wive and son were murdered by the ]s in early ]. In ], Escher, having gained experience in drawing and particularly woodcutting, left the school. | |||
| He was born in ], the ]. | |||
| Escher travelled to ] regularly in the following years, and it was in Italy, too, that he first met the woman who would become his wive in ], Jetta Umiker. The young couple settled down in ] after marriage and stayed there until ]; when the political climate under ] became unbearable, the family moved to ], ], where they stayed for two years. | |||
| Escher, however, who had been very fond of and inspired by the landscape in Italy, was decidedly unhappy in Switzerland, so two years later, in ], the family moved again, this time to ], a small town near ], ]; ] forced them to move a last time in ] ], this time to ], the ], where Escher lived until ]. | |||
| Most of Escher's better-known pictures date from this period of time; the cloudy, cold, wet weather of the Netherlands allowed him to focus entirely on his works, and only in ], when he had to undergo surgery, there was a time where no new images were created. | |||
| Escher moved to the ] house in ] in the northern Netherlands in ], a retirement home for artists where he could have a studio of his own, and died there on ], ]. | |||
| == Works == | == Works == | ||
| Well known examples of his work include ''Drawing Hands,'' a work in which two hands are shown drawing each other, ''Sky and Water,'' in which plays on light and shadow convert fish in water into birds in the sky, and ''Ascending and Descending,'' in which lines of people ascend and descend stairs infinitely in a loop, on a construction which is impossible to build and possible to draw only by taking advantage of quirks of perception and ]. Escher's work has a strong mathematical component, and many of the worlds which he drew are built around ] such as the ] and the ]. | Well known examples of his work include ''Drawing Hands,'' a work in which two hands are shown drawing each other, ''Sky and Water,'' in which plays on light and shadow convert fish in water into birds in the sky, and ''Ascending and Descending,'' in which lines of people ascend and descend stairs infinitely in a loop, on a construction which is impossible to build and possible to draw only by taking advantage of quirks of perception and ]. Escher's work has a strong mathematical component, and many of the worlds which he drew are built around ] such as the ] and the ]. | ||
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| == See also == | == See also == | ||
| ]. | * ]. | ||
Revision as of 21:28, 24 May 2003
Maurits Cornelis Escher (June 17, 1898 - March 27, 1972) was a Dutch artist most known for his woodcuts and lithographs, which tend to feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, and interlocking geometric patterns which change gradually into completely different forms.
He was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, as the youngest son of hydraulics engineer G. A. Escher. In 1903, the family moved to Arnheim, where he went to a grammar school from the age of 13 on. Later, from 1919, Escher attended the Haarlem School of Architecture and Decorative Arts; he studied architecture briefly, but then made a switch to decorative arts, studying under Samuel Jesserun de Mesquita, an artist which he kept contact with until de Mesquita and his wive and son were murdered by the Nazis in early 1944. In 1922, Escher, having gained experience in drawing and particularly woodcutting, left the school.
Escher travelled to Italy regularly in the following years, and it was in Italy, too, that he first met the woman who would become his wive in 1924, Jetta Umiker. The young couple settled down in Rome after marriage and stayed there until 1935; when the political climate under Mussolini became unbearable, the family moved to Château-d'Oex, Switzerland, where they stayed for two years.
Escher, however, who had been very fond of and inspired by the landscape in Italy, was decidedly unhappy in Switzerland, so two years later, in 1937, the family moved again, this time to Ukkel, a small town near Brussels, Belgium; World War II forced them to move a last time in January 1941, this time to Baarn, the Netherlands, where Escher lived until 1970.
Most of Escher's better-known pictures date from this period of time; the cloudy, cold, wet weather of the Netherlands allowed him to focus entirely on his works, and only in 1962, when he had to undergo surgery, there was a time where no new images were created.
Escher moved to the Rosa-Spier house in Laren in the northern Netherlands in 1970, a retirement home for artists where he could have a studio of his own, and died there on March 27, 1972.
Works
Well known examples of his work include Drawing Hands, a work in which two hands are shown drawing each other, Sky and Water, in which plays on light and shadow convert fish in water into birds in the sky, and Ascending and Descending, in which lines of people ascend and descend stairs infinitely in a loop, on a construction which is impossible to build and possible to draw only by taking advantage of quirks of perception and perspective. Escher's work has a strong mathematical component, and many of the worlds which he drew are built around impossible objects such as the Necker cube and the Penrose triangle.
Most of the prints associated with him were only sketched out by him. The full prints only occurred after he died.