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M. C. Escher

Dutch graphic artist (1898-1972) · Netherlands · Artists · Died at 73

M. C. Escher is read about 1,656 times a day, in 74 languages.

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He drew staircases that climb forever, hands that sketch themselves into being, and buildings that couldn't stand in three dimensions. Escher turned geometry into optical riddles that feel like glimpsing the code underneath perception.

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A life in dates

1972Died27 March 19721959“The ideas that are basic to [my work] often bear witness to my amazement and wonder at the laws of nature which operate in the world around us.”In their wordsQuote of Escher 1959 - in the introduction of M.C. Escher: The Graphic Work (1978) p. 8 - translated from the original book in Dutch: M.C.

1958“After the first proof [of 'Sphere Spirals'] my high expectations were, as always, greatly disappointed.”In their wordsQuote of Escher, c. 1958; as cited in Biography of M.C. Escher

1953“It is human nature to want to exchange ideas, and I believe that, at bottom, every artist wants no more than to tell the world what he has to say.”In their words16 November 1953Quotes from Escher's lecture, "On Being a Graphic Artist" (PDF file) he gave in Alkmaar, 16 Nov. 1953, for the friends of the Municipal

“I do indeed believe that there is a certain contrast between, say, people in scientific professions and people working in the arts.”In their words16 November 1953Quotes from Escher's lecture, "On Being a Graphic Artist" (PDF file) he gave in Alkmaar, 16 Nov. 1953, for the friends of the Municipal

“In my prints I try to show that we live in a beautiful and orderly world and not in a chaos without norms, as we sometimes seem to. My subjects are also often playful.”In their words16 November 1953Variant translations: Are you really sure that a floor can't also be a ceiling? I can't keep from fooling around with our irrefutable

1938“The fact that, from 1938 onwards, I concentrated more on the interpretation of personal ideas was primarily the result of my departure from Italy.”In their wordsEscher's note in a 1960 book introduction; as cited in 'Metamorphosis', in Biography of M.C. Escher

1898Born17 June 1898

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Maurits Cornelis EscherMaurits Cornelis Escher3D-ambigram GEB (Gödel Escher Bach)3D-ambigram GEB (Gödel Escher Bach)Ambigram Escher and tessellation background - photomontage with reversible handsAmbigram Escher and tessellation background - photomontage with reversible handsAmbigram Escher with reversible drawing hands - photomontageAmbigram Escher with reversible drawing hands - photomontageAmbigram tessellation EscherAmbigram tessellation EscherEerste exemplaren van boek Werelden van M.C. Escher uitgereikt in het Gemeente, Bestanddeelnr 925-1684Eerste exemplaren van boek Werelden van M.C. Escher uitgereikt in het Gemeente, Bestanddeelnr 925-1684Eerste exemplaren van boek Werelden van MC Escher uitgereikt in het Gemeente, Bestanddeelnr 925-1686Eerste exemplaren van boek Werelden van MC Escher uitgereikt in het Gemeente, Bestanddeelnr 925-1686

In their own words 10

,
M. C. Escher
,
10 statements, newest first

  1. As long as there have been men.. ..upon this globe.. ..we have held firmly to the notion of.. ..all of which must continue to be everlasting in time and infinite in space.

    1959, Quote of Escher, 1959; as cited in '3. The approach to infinity', in: M.C. Escher and Hyperbolic Geometry - Math Explorer Club, Own words

  2. The ideas that are basic to [my work] often bear witness to my amazement and wonder at the laws of nature which operate in the world around us.

    1959, Quote of Escher 1959 - in the introduction of M.C. Escher: The Graphic Work (1978) p. 8 - translated from the original book in Dutch: M.C., Own words

  3. After the first proof [of 'Sphere Spirals'] my high expectations were, as always, greatly disappointed.

    1958, Quote of Escher, c. 1958; as cited in Biography of M.C. Escher, Own words

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Awards

Knight of the Order of Orange-Nassau

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About this person

Maurits Cornelis Escher was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints rooted in mathematical structure - despite insisting he had no mathematical ability. Early on he sketched insects, lichens, and landscapes, but trips through Italy and Spain shifted his attention to the tilings of the Alhambra and Mezquita, pulling him toward tessellations, impossible objects, and explorations of infinity. The art world ignored him for decades; he was 70 before a retrospective arrived. But scientists noticed: his work spread through technical papers, and in April 1966 Martin Gardner featured him in Scientific American's Mathematical Games column, igniting popular recognition. By the late twentieth century the wider world caught up, and in 1979 Douglas Hofstadter wove him into Gödel, Escher, Bach, the Pulitzer-winning meditation on pattern and meaning.

Country
Netherlands
Category
Artists
Type
Artist
Status
deceased
Dates
Lived 1898 to 1972 · aged 73

Artists from the Netherlands 6

Johannes Vermeer70.0Hieronymus Bosch65.2Rembrandt84.4Pieter Bruegel the Elder64.6Vincent van Gogh89.9Piet Mondrian64.5

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