M. C. Escher 1898-1972

Maurits Cornelis (M. C.) Escher was born in Leeurwarden, Netherlands in 1898. Over his lifetime, he made 448 lithographs and woodcuts. He made over 2000 drawings and sketches. In secondary school, he was introduced to linoleum cut printmaking.

His teachers persuaded him to study architecture in college His teachers persuaded him to study architecture in college. However, he soon dropped this and studied graphic art. Escher illustrated books, designed tapestries, postage stamps and murals. Like Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, and Dürer, Escher was left-handed.

EARLY WORK Escher’s Father, 1916 Linoleum Cut in purple 6” x 8”

Woodcut Print 6” x 14” Wild West Wild West, 1920 1920 Woodcut. 175mm x 357mm. Wild West Wild West, 1920 Woodcut Print 6” x 14”

Self Portrait, 1920, Woodcut Print 6” x 7”

White Cat, 1916, Woodcut Print, 6.5” x 6.5”

They settled in Rome & stayed until 1935. After finishing school, he traveled extensively through Italy. He met his wife Jetta Umiker and married in 1924. They settled in Rome & stayed until 1935. Jetta Umiker 1925 Woodcut. George Escher 1929 Woodcut 14” x 16” Self Portrait 1929 Lithograph 7” x10”

M. C. Escher and his wife Jetta had 3 sons: George, Arthur and Jan. During these 11 years in Rome, Escher traveled each year through Italy. Escher would sketch the Italian landscapes he saw. When he returned home, he would turn these sketches into prints.

M.C. Escher Castrovalva 21” x 17” Lithograph 1930

Inside St. Peter’s 1935, Wood Engraving 12” x 9”

San Gimignano 1923 Woodcut. 19” x 11”

In 1936, M. C. Escher took a trip to Spain that would forever change his life. While there, he visited the Alhambra (a Muslim mosque). The tile work in this building inspired a new phase in his art. He filled notebooks with the tile designs. He became consumed with the patterns of the tile.

After this visit, his artwork was divided into two sections: pre-1937 work and post-1937 work. The work before 1937 was mostly real images- usually landscapes. His work after 1937 became filled with tessellations and art from his imagination.

View of the Alhambra, Granada, Spain Built in 889 One of Spain’s most popular attractions.

Views of the Alhambra

Sea Horse (No. 11) 1937-1938 Pencil, Ink, Watercolor Horse (No. 8) 1937-1938 Pencil, Watercolor

Bird/ Fish (No. 22) 1938 India ink, colored pencil, watercolor. Two Birds (No. 18) 1938 India ink, pencil, watercolor. Lizard (No. 25) 1939 India ink, pencil, watercolor.

M. C. Escher created hundreds of complex tessellations in his lifetime. He developed “morphing” tessellations that started with one object and changed into another.

Sky and Water I, 1938 Woodcut, 17” x 17”

Fish and Frogs 2” x 3” 1942

Liberation, 1948 7” x 17”

Metamorphosis I, 1937 1937 Woodcut printed on 2 sheets 7” x 35”

Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali, 1931 Another great influence on Escher’s art is Surrealism. This painting is the most famous Surrealist painting. Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dali, 1931

After seeing the work of the Surrealists, Escher’s work changed once again. His work started with reality and changed into imagination- it became dreamlike.

Escher’s later work became SURREALISTIC-(dreamlike). Relativity 1953, 11” x 11”

Reptiles 1943, Lithograph, 15” x 13”

Still Life with Spherical Mirror 1934, Lithograph, 12” x 11”

Drawing Hands 1948, Lithograph, 11” x 13”

Not only did Escher make mathematical prints, he made over 448 lithographs, woodcuts and over 2000 drawings. He kept working until his death in 1972.