M.C. Escher

<p>From impossible staircases to tessellated birds, Dutch artist <strong>M.C. Escher</strong> (1898–1972) crafted a <strong>unique graphic language of patterns, puzzles, and mathematics</strong>. Dense, complex, and structured by intricate principles, his work is at the same time decorative and playful, <strong>toying constantly with optic illusions and the limitations of sensory perception</strong>. For mathematicians and scientists, Escher is a mastermind. For hippies, he was the pioneer of psychedelic art.<br /><br /> Born in Leeuwarden, in the Netherlands in 1898, Escher’s early works focused on nature and landscapes, with regular exhibitions in Holland, and some international recognition. It was on a trip to the Alhambra Palace in Spain in the 1920s, however, that Escher found his niche. Sketching the patterns of the palace’s Moorish architecture, Escher became captivated by the <strong>codependency of forms within and next to each other</strong>.<br /><br /> Working mainly with lithographs and woodcuts, Escher went on to explore the <strong>relationships among shapes, figures, and space</strong> with a near-obsessive delight. He reveled in quirky vantage points, multiple perspectives, the transition from paper flatness to illusory volume, and intricate <strong>mathematical puzzles </strong>such as the Möbius strip, a seemingly infinite loop which twists and recoils on itself in a contortion of apparent physical impossibility.<br /><br /> This introductory book taps into Escher’s brilliant mind with key works from his restless investigation of image and perception. Along the way, you’ll find <strong>fish morphing into birds, lizards crawling off the page, masterful reflections, infinite mazes</strong>, and some of the most mind-bending images of 20th-century art.</p>