•Traveled
to Italy and began drawing sketches of the trees and vistas.
•Fascinated
with structure and light
•Paid
careful attention to details of the roof shingles and the cobblestone path ways
In 1920 Escher enrolled in the School for Architecture and Design in
Haarlem, studying graphic arts.
Afterwards, he concentrated on landscapes and townscapes in Italy.
He traveled widely, and visited Spain in June 1922. He was inspired by
the Alhambra, a 14th
century Moorish castle in Granada.
He was fascinated by the geometric patterns of the tiles, but was
disappointed by the lack of recognizable figures.
His works began to take on a more mathematical approach, and in 1945,
they were featured in a science museum, not art.
From 1944 onwards Escher became a surrealist, often creating impossible
landscapes and expanding the division of the plane into three dimensions.
His fame began to spread in the 1950’s, and he was inundated with
requests to give lectures all over the world.
Escher was fascinated by topology, which had only began to be
studied in his lifetime. He used what he knew to create the “impossible” etchings, such as Waterfall.
The mathematical accuracy and the attention to details that Escher gave
his works provided them with a highly believable sense of realism that sharply
contrasts with the unreal aspects.
“What I give form to in daylight
is only one per cent of what I have seen in darkness.”
-Escher”…to portray something that doesn’t exist, one must present it in a perfectly ordinary everyday way.”
-Escher”I try to bear witness that we are
living in a beautiful, ordered world, and not in a chaos without standards, as
it sometimes seems.”
-Escher
Slide 7
Escher died in 1972 at the age of 73. Over his lifetime, he made 448
lithographs, woodcuts, and wood engravings, and over 2000 drawings and
sketches. His art continues to amaze millions of people throughout the world
today.
•Though
the Moor Civilization was forbidden from using living creatures in their art,
Escher took a great interest in using these figures
•Used
mainly birds, lions, and fish
