M.C. Escher

Artist Project

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Researcher = Theodore Golob

Vital Statistics

• Name is Maurits Cornelis Escher • Male• Born 1898 (Leeuwarden, in the Dutch province of Friesland, located in the Netherlands• Died in 1972 from a rare type of cancer• Third and youngest son of a civil engineer• Parents name George Arnold Escher and Sarah Gleichman Escher• Born into a house named “Princessehof”

Personal Background• Failed high school exams

- failed almost all courses

- did not fail math

• 1916 - First Graphic work

• Rejected from military due to poor health

• 1922 - first profitable woodcut- St. Francis (Preaching to the Birds)

• 1919 - Escher attends school of Architecture and Decorative arts in Haarlem, Netherlands

• Dropped out of college, wanted to do graphic art

• For seven years learned about lithography and woodcutting

• Visited the Alhambra fourteen century Moorish castle in Granada and discovered the regular division of the Plane. This would stick with him until death - Spain 1922• After brother died in October 1925 in a mountaineering accident, made “Days of Creation”• Traveled throughout Italy,1922-1934. Influenced backgrounds in his drawings• 1936 - revisited Moorish castle, observed tiles, created metamorphosis• 1956 - 58 , started to works symbolizing themes such as infinity and tiling the plane, “Smaller and Smaller” -1956

• Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, encouraged Escher to pursue graphic art•Jessurun was a friend + mentor • Director of the Dutch Historical Institute in Rome, G.J. Hoogewerff , suggested some new works, became published called Emblematain in 1932• Frequently attended concerts that influenced him•Tried to play piano, flute, and cello, played piano for longest• 1932, met Gert Stegeman who was a painter and a etcher with Bas Kist, a friend he met in religious school• Art teacher in 1907 taught him how to do linocuts

• One of artists which greatly contributed to mathematical art• Many short animation movies are done after him

Key Historical Events• Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita killed during Holocaust, he was Jewish• Escher brought Samuel’s art work to the Stedelijk museum• Took drawing of an imprint of a German boot and kept it with his drawing supplies his whole life• Kept on doing art during WWII

The Stedelijk MuseumThe Stedelijk Museum

1. Op art - also known as optical art, a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions. Buildings contained optical illusions

2. Mathematical art – using techniques of math within art. Symmetry, Tessellation, infinity

3. Metamorphosis – process which one or more items in a drawing visually develop into other items.

4. Lithography - method for printing by using a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface

5. Pen and Ink – Escher used pen and ink for all of his paper work

6. Shading – using shades of colors to create three dimensional art.

7. Positive/Negative, using opposite colors interchangeably.

Example ArtExample Art

Ascending and Descending 1960

Op art – stairs can go up or down, depending on view

Mathematical – The people walk for an infinite amount of time

Shading -enhances three dimensional art

Pen and Ink

Example ArtExample Art

Day and Night, 1938

Pen and Ink

Metamorphosis – from a farm to a bird

Positive/Negative – The birds in the center

Symmetrical –sides are identical

Example Art Example Art

House of Stairs, 1951

Shading – improves three dimensional effect

Pen and Ink

Op art – drawing curves towards center

Mathematical – grid walls

My Original ArtMy Original Art

Metamorphosis – Objects transforms into other items

Tessellations – Shapes in background

Pen and Ink

Positive and Negative – background uses opposite colors to create shapes

Life 01, 2010

ConclusionConclusion

Observing the creative, genuine, and imaginative art of M.C. Escher was a privilege. Using the styles that he used such as tessellations and metamorphosis, I created a piece of art. I am glad that Escher did an act of kindness towards his Jewish friend, Jessurun de Mesquita following the Holocaust. This proved that Escher was a caring and loving man in addition to all his other characteristics. Overall, researching about Escher has enlightened me to how artistic one can be.

Thanks!

Any Questions?