M.C. Escher's twisted perspectives
A fascinating world traveler and master of illusion, M.C. Escher is the focus of "Escher's Journey," a new exhibition at the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden which includes lesser-known works by the famous artist.
'Castrovalva' (1930)
The large lithograph of this Abruzzo village is, along with "Atrani, Amalfi Coast" one of the many works that Maurits Cornelis Escher sketched on his trips to Italy and printed upon his return home to the Netherlands. Escher's travels through Italy impressed him so much that elements of the sketches he created there appearing repeatedly throughout his late work.
'Nocturnal Rome: Small Churches, Piazza Venezia' (1934)
Shortly after their marriage in Viareggio, in 1924, Escher and his Italian wife Jetta moved to Rome, where their two sons, Georg and Arthur, were born. As the fascists gained more influence in Italy, the family moved to Switzerland in 1935. In the following years, Escher traveled across the Mediterranean on a cargo ship and in the process, revisited the Alhambra.
'Day and Night' (1938)
While visiting the Alhambra in Granada, southern Spain, Escher came into contact with Moorish art for the first time and became fascinated by the medieval mosaic art. As a result, Escher busied himself with a technique that filled in the surfaces over a series of uniform shapes. In this woodcut, ducks fly over a Dutch river landscape.
'Cycle' (1938)
On this lithograph entitled "Cycle," there is stylistic movement that is even more noticeable here than in "Day and Night." In addition to strong contrasts, the recurring geometric shapes of his later works and the stair motifs can be seen here.
'Metamorphosis II'
The pictures in the "Metamorphosis" series are considered his masterpieces. In the narrow and elongated work, "Metamorphosis II," geometric shapes are transformed into animals, which in turn become cubes, buildings and finally into the village of Astrani. At the end, the village becomes a chessboard before the image finally returns to one consisting of geometric forms.
'Relativity' (1953)
After 1946, Escher turned increasingly to perspective pictures and in the years following, those prints became some of his best-known works. Playing with perspective is a difficult task and Escher had to work for weeks on some prints to give apparent realism to his sketches. Only at second glance is the impossibility of the construction made clear.
'Convex and Concave' (1955)
In "Convex and Concave" Escher lets both types of surface curvature meet. At several points in the picture, one face appears concave, then convex, and vice versa. Playing with perspectives creates geometric constructions that would otherwise be impossible in reality.
'Belvedere' (1958)
In this lithograph, Escher once again depicts a paradoxical building. In the background are the peaks of the Abbruzzi, which Escher had visited in his youth. The upper part of the lookout tower is at a different angle than the rest. The middle floor's front pillars support the back of the top floor, while the back pillars seem to support the front.
Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, Escher's hometown
Leeuwarden in the Dutch North Friesland is, along with the Maltese city of Valletta, a 2018 European Capital of Culture. Maurits Cornelis Escher was born here in 1898, the son of a hydraulic engineer. The exhibition "Escher on the Road" ("Escher op reis") runs from April 28 to October 28, 2018. In parallel to this, there are events all year related to Escher's art.