1. Symmetry in The Drawings of M.C. Escher

2. A Working Definition Symmetry
Sym-me-try (symmetries (n. pl.), symmetrical (adj.), symmetrically (adv.)
1.The state of having two halves that are mirror images of each other.
2.Beauty resulting from a balanced arrangement of parts.
“I don’t use drugs. My dreams are frightening enough.”
- M.C. Escher

3. M.C. Escher (1898 – 1972)
Maurits Cornelis Escher (17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972), usually referred to as M.C. Escher, was a Dutch graphic artist.
He was born in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands, the youngest son of George Escher and his second wife, Sara Gleichman.
In 1919, he attended the Haarlem School of Architecture and Decorative Arts. He left in 1922, having gained experience in drawing and making woodcuts.
Escher travelled throughout Europe during his lifetime, drawing inspiration for his work from such places as the Italian countryside and the Alhambra, a Moorish castle in Granada, Spain.

4. The Legacy of Escher
The M.C. Escher Foundation of Baarn, promotes Escher's work by organizing exhibitions, publishing books and producing films about his life and work.
The primary institutional collections of original works by M.C. Escher are the Escher Museum, a subsidiary of the Haags Gemeentemuseum in The Hague; the National Gallery of Art (Washington, DC); the National Gallery of Canada (Ottawa); the Israel Museum (Jerusalem); Huis ten Bosch (Nagasaki, Japan); and the Boston Public Library.

5. Journal Reflection
Before I took Mr. Seigel’s class, I had never heard of M.C. Escher. I never knew that math and art are so related; I mean it makes sense but I never thought about it before.
Symmetry Is a really easy idea and it’s all around us in Nature – in reflections on lakes, in certain photographs, in the appearance of our own bodies. I learned that I can find the Axis of Symmetry by drawing a line through the image, splitting the viewable frame into two symmetrical, or “mirror” images. Piece of cake!
I never seriously cared about art before but now I can’t wait to take a drawing class.

6. The World of Escher
Well, maybe not quite, but it’s a start!ll
Three Websites for even more cool information on M.C. Escher are:
a selection of various books on M.C. Escher’s life and work.
(a great site to explore Escher’s artwork)
(a site that introduces tessellations and how to make your own)