Spectacular Works of M. C. Escher!
Kristen Buse
Who is this "M. C. Escher?"
Although you may not have heard of him, you're sure to have seen his art at some point in your life. Maurits Cornelis Escher was born in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands in 1898. Throughout his life, he traveled around a large portion of Europe, pursuing many different styles of art. Some of what he did includes tapestry, sketches, and even wood carvings. Escher was most famous for his "impossible" work and tessellations, using involving optical illusions put into normal life, and/or patterns of objects or creatures "morphing" into a completely different image. Take a look at some of his best work below!
Sky & Water I
This woodcut demonstrates a wonderful tessellation of animals dwelling in completely different environments, yet coming together seamlessly in the circle of life.
Drawing Hands
This lithograph, (a drawing imprinted on wood or metal) perhaps Escher's most famous work, shows how art is passed on as tradition throughout the lives of many, in a never-ending chain.
Symmetry No. 45
This beautiful artwork illustrates angles and demons intertwined perfectly and equally.
Tessellations
Okay, but what are these "tessellations" you keep mentioning?
Tessellations are, put simply, polygons put together in a regular pattern. They can't overlap, and they can't leave any blank spaces. To make a tessellation, you have to take a regular polygon (or maybe two, or three) and rotate and translate it until you find a way to repeat it so it doesn't, as you've heard, overlap or leave space. Hrm? Not sure what this whole "rotating" and "translating" business is? Well, rotating is exactly what you would think it is, turning around on an axis. Translating, however, doesn't mean understanding another language. No, translating is just sliding in one direction. Simple, isn't it? M. C. Escher knew that, and based many of his best artworks on the concept of tessellation.
The M. C. Escher Company
Come look at his best works, while learning a little history about one of the best artists this world has ever known!
Email: kb7777822@gmail.com
Location: 5169 Georgeanne Court, Mentor, OH
Phone: (440)-354-3740