M. C. Escher Art for Sale: Prints & Originals

M. C. Escher was born on June 17, 1898, in Leeuwarden, Netherlands. He initially started architectural studies but quickly shifted to graphic arts at the School for Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem, where he honed his skills in drawing and printmaking.

Escher's early works were predominantly landscapes, influenced by his extensive travels in the 1920s and 1930s, which profoundly shaped his artistic direction. The 1930s marked a significant shift in Escher's work from realism towards more abstract patterns and designs, and his creations began to feature impossible objects, explorations of infinity and complex geometric designs, blending art with mathematical concepts. His works often depicted impossible constructions, such as endless staircases and seamlessly interlocking spaces, challenging the viewers' perception of reality.

During and after World War II Escher gained popular fame, with his works appealing to art enthusiasts, scientists and mathematicians alike, and viewers attracted by the intricate themes in his work. Despite this, the formal art world often neglected his achievements, and it has only been in the 21st century that his works began to be widely exhibited. Escher's later years were spent in Baarn, Netherlands, where he continued to work despite illness. His exploration of complex patterns, optical illusions, and what he called 'mental imagery' continued to evolve until his death in 1972. Today, Escher's work remains hugely popular, showcased in exhibitions worldwide.

Escher’s early life was marked by a fascination with drawing and carpentry, where his artistic talents were evident. He was a sickly child, which affected his schooling, and he had to repeat the second grade. Despite this, he would go on to create some of the most complex compositions in 20th century art in his work: Escher had no formal training in mathematics, yet he possessed an intuitive understanding of the subject, which he keenly expressed through his pieces. He saw himself as more of a craftsman than a mathematician or scientist.

1922 was a pivotal year for Escher as he embarked on a journey through Italy, visiting various cities including Florence and Siena, before travelling to Spain, where he explored Madrid and Granada. The Moorish architecture of the Alhambra in Granada, particularly its geometrically symmetrical decorations, deeply impressed Escher. This exposure sparked his lifelong interest in tessellation, a mathematical concept involving interlocking patterns, which significantly influenced his artistic work. Escher moved to Rome in 1923, where he lived until 1935 and left due to the rise of Fascism. During this time, he married Jetta Umiker, a Swiss woman he met in Italy, and the couple had three sons. Escher's Italian period was marked by frequent travels to various locales such as Abruzzi, Corsica and Sicily. The landscapes, townscapes and colours of these regions prominently featured in his art. In 1936, Escher revisited Spain, spending extensive time at the Alhambra. He made detailed drawings of its mosaic patterns, demonstrating his growing fascination with tessellation, which became almost an obsession and played a crucial role in his artistic development.

Decades later, Escher’s work continues to influence artists, graphic designers and mathematicians. His legacy is that of an artist who transcended the conventional boundaries of art, making a unique and lasting imprint on both the art world and the realm of mathematical thought.

Escher's impossible constructions stand as some of the most iconic and intriguing elements of his artistic style. These works, which include famous pieces like Waterfall, Ascending And Descending and Relativity, are characterised by their seemingly normal appearance at first glance; although closer inspection reveals that they defy the laws of physics and logic. These works often play with perspective and spatial logic, creating scenes that are simultaneously believable and impossible. In Waterfall, for instance, the water appears to flow uphill, defying gravity, before looping back to its starting point in an endless cycle. Similarly, Ascending and Descending portrays a staircase in a continuous loop, with figures forever climbing and descending but never reaching a higher or lower level.
These works not only showcase Escher's artistic skill but also his deep fascination with mathematics, particularly with concepts like infinity and paradoxes. He was influenced by geometric principles and mathematical theory, including the idea of a Möbius strip: a surface with only one side and one boundary. Escher's ability to blend artistic expression with mathematical concepts in these constructions has made his work enduringly popular, not just among art enthusiasts but also among mathematicians, scientists and the general public. Escher's impossible constructions challenge viewers to reconsider their understanding of reality, inviting contemplation on the limitations of human perception and the complexities of the world around us. This unique blend of art and intellectual challenge is what makes Escher's work timeless and continuously relevant in both artistic and academic circles.
Escher's influence extends beyond the realm of visual arts into the world of pop culture, especially film and television, where his enigmatic designs and optical illusions have inspired numerous filmmakers and designers. His work, particularly his impossible constructions and unique perspective manipulations, have provided a rich source of inspiration for creating visually stunning and thought-provoking cinematic moments. One of the earliest and most notable references to Escher's work in film is in Jim Henson's 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. The movie’s climactic scene in which the protagonist Sarah confronts the Goblin King (played by David Bowie) takes place in an environment directly inspired by Escher's Relativity. In this scene, the characters traverse an array of staircases that defy the laws of gravity and perspective, much like in Escher's lithograph. This surreal, disorienting design adds to the movie’s fantastical ambiance and to the anxiety of the scene and underscores the film's themes of illusion, reality, and the complexities of the human psyche.
Another significant instance of Escher's influence in film can be found in Christopher Nolan's Inception. The film's dreamscapes, particularly the Penrose Stairs sequence, bear a striking resemblance to Escher's Ascending And Descending. This visual reference is not just a tribute but a narrative device that aligns with the movie's central themes of dream manipulation and the blurring lines between reality and illusion. The impossible staircase scene in Inception illustrates the endless cycle of dreams and the characters' struggle to discern reality within the layered dream world.
Escher's work resonates in these films because it visually encapsulates complex ideas about perception, reality and the human experience. His art challenges viewers to engage, and Escher's legacy in film and television highlights his enduring impact. His work transcends traditional artistic boundaries and continues to inspire new generations of storytellers and visual artists.
Escher's connection with mathematics is profound and fascinating, particularly because he was largely self-taught in the field. His art, celebrated for its intricate detail and mind-bending perspectives, is deeply rooted in mathematical concepts, which has earned him significant recognition and admiration within the mathematical community. His interest in mathematics became particularly prominent in his later works – especially after 1936 when he visited the Alhambra in Spain. The complex geometric patterns he observed there greatly influenced his subsequent work, especially the tessellations: a concept in geometry where a plane is covered with shapes without any gaps or overlaps. Escher explored this concept extensively, creating artworks that featured interlocking figures and patterns that could be extended infinitely.
Another mathematical concept prevalent in Escher's work is the Möbius strip, a surface with only one side and one boundary. His lithograph Möbius Strip II shows several ants crawling along a Möbius strip, emphasising the unending, twisted nature of this mathematical form. This visualisation of abstract mathematical concepts made his work particularly appealing to mathematicians and scientists. Escher also delved into concepts of infinity and hyperbolic geometry. Works like Circle Limit III use hyperbolic geometry to create patterns that grow smaller towards the edges, suggesting an infinitely expanding plane within a finite space and giving the illusion of a three-dimensional plane. These pieces not only demonstrate Escher's grasp of complex mathematical ideas but also his ability to translate them into visually stunning art.
In the mathematical community, Escher is regarded as something of an honorary member. His works have been used in academic settings to illustrate complex concepts, and many mathematicians have expressed admiration for his intuitive understanding of geometry, symmetry and topology. Escher's unique approach to blending art with mathematics has broadened the appeal of his work and contributed to a deeper public appreciation and understanding of mathematical principles. His legacy in the mathematical world is a testament to the universal language of art and mathematics, bridging the gap between these two disparate disciplines.