m.c. esch grap

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M C ES C H E R®The Graphic Work

Introduced and explained y the artist

T SCH ENHONG KONG KOLN LONDON LOS NGELES M DR I D PAR IS TOKYO



FRONT COVER:

Sky and w ter I 1938Woodcut, 44 x 44 em

BACK COVER:

M. C. EscherPhoto: Bruno Ernst

2007 TASCHEN GmbH·Hohenzollernring 53, D-50672 Kbln

www schen com1989 for all M.C. Escher reproductions:

Cordon Art - Baarn - HollandEnglish translation: John E. BrighamThe title was published in 1959 by

Koninklijke Erven J.J.Tij l N.V. Zwolle,under the ti tle M.C. Escher Grafiek en Tekeningen .

This 2009 edition published by Barnes & Noble, Inc.,by arrangement with TASCHEN GmbH.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,stored in a retrieval system, or t ransmitted, in any form or by any means,

electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise,

without prior written permission from the publisher.

Barnes & Noble, Inc.122 Fifth Avenue

New York, NY 10011

ISBN: 978-1-4351-1858-4

Printed and bound in Singapore

1 3 5 7 9 1 8 6 4 2



Contents

Introduction 5Classif ication and Description 7

I a rly prints7 Tower of Babel2 Castrova lva3 Pa lm4 Portrait G A Escher5 Fluorescent sea6 St . Peter Rome

Dream

II Regular division of a plane8 Swans9 Horsemen7 Two intersecting planes

Day and night

72 Sun and moon73 Sky and water I74 Sky and water II75 Liberation76 Development I77 Verbum78 Sphere surface with fishes79 Path of life II2 Smaller and sma ller

27 W hirlpools22 Circle limit I23 Square limit24 Circle limit Ill

5 Circle limit IV

26 Fishes and sca les27 Butterflies8 Reptiles

29 Cycle3 Encounter37 Magic mirror

32 Metamorphose33 .Predest ination4 Mosaic I35 Mosaic II

Ill Unlimited spaces36 Depth37 Cubic space division38 Three intersecting planes

IV. Spatial rings and spirals39 Knots4 Moebius band II47 Concentric rinds42 Spirals

43 Sphere spirals44 Moebius band I45 Rind46 Bond of union

V. Mirror images47 Rippled surface48 Puddle49 Three worlds5 Still li fe with reflecting globe

57 Hand wi th re flecting globe

5 Three spheres II53 Dewdrop

54 Eye

VI Inversion55 Cube with magic ribbons56 Concave and convex

VII Polyhedrons57 Double planetoid

58 Tetrahedral planetoid59 Order and chaos6 Gravitation

67 Stars62 Flat worms

VIII Relativities63 Another world II64 High and low

65 Cur l-up66 House of stairs67 Relativity

IX . Conflict flat spatial68 Three spheres I69 Drawing hands1 a lcony

77 Doric columns72 Print gallery73 Dragon

X Impossible buildings7 4 Belvedere75 Ascending and descending16 Waterfa ll



Eight heads woodcut stamped pr int 1922.Th is is the first regular division of a plane surface carried

out by the artist when he was a pupil of the School of

Architecture and Decorative Art s n Haarlem. It indicatesat whatan ea rl y stage hefelt drawn to rhyth mic repetition.In th e origina l wood b lock eight heads were cut four

female and four male. Space can be filled to infi nity w ithcontiguous pr ints



ntroduction

Anyone who applies himself, from his early youth, to the

practice of graphic techniques may wel l reach a stage at

wh ich he begins to hold as his highest idea l the completemastery o his craft . Excellence of craftsmanship takes up

all his time and so complete ly absorbs his thoughts that hewi ll even make his choice of sub ject subordinate to his

desire to exp lore some particular facet of technique. Trueenough, there is tremendous satisfaction to be derived

from the acquisition of artistic ski ll and the achievementof

a thorough und erstanding of the properties of the

mater ial to hand, and in learning w ith true purposefulness

and contro l to use the too ls wh ich one has available

- above all , one's own two hands

I myselfpassed manyyears in thisstateof self-delusion. But

then there came a moment when it seemed as though

scales fell from my eyes. I discovered that technicalmastery wasno longer my sole aim, for I became gripped

by another desire the existence of which I had never

suspected. Idea s came into my mind quite unrelated to

graphic ar t, notions which so fascinated me that I longedto communicate them to other people. This could not be

achieved through words, for these thoughts we re not

literary ones, but mental images of a kind thatcan on ly be

made comprehensible to others by presenting them as

visual images. Suddenly the method by which the imagewas to be presented became less important than it used to

be. One does not of course study graphic art for so many

years to no availi not only had the craft become secondnature to me, it had also become essential to continue

using some techniqu e of reproduction so that I couldcommunicate simu ltaneously to a large number of myfellow men that which I was aiming at.

If I compare the way in wh ich o graphic sheet from mytechnique pe riod came into being with that of a print

expressing a pa rt icular train of thought, then I realize that

they are almost po les apart. W hat often happened in thepost was that I would pick out from a pile of sketches one

which it seemed to me might be suitable for reproductionby means of some technique that'was interesting me at

that moment in time. But now it is f rom amongst thosetechniques, wh ich I have to some degree mastered, that I

choose the one which lend s tself more than any other, to

the expression of he pa rticular idea that ha sta ken hold of

my mind.

N owadays the growth of a graphic image can be divided

into two sharply defined phases. The process beginsw iththe search for a visual form such as will interpretas clearlyas poss ible one's train of thought. Usually a long timeelapses before I decide that I have got it clear in my mind .

Yet a mental image s something completely d ifferent from

a visual image, and however much oneexertsoneself, one

can never manage to cap ture the fullness of that perfection which hovers in th e mind and which one thinks of,quite falsely as something that is se en . After a long

series of attempts, at ost - when Iam justaboutat the endof my resources - I manage to cost my lovely dream in thedefective visual mould of a detailed conceptual sketch.

Regu lar division of a plane nr. 99, VIII 1954

After this, to my great rel ief, there dawns the second

ph ase that isthe making of the graphic printi for now the

spirit con toke its rest whil e the work is toke n over by thehands.In 1922, w hen I left the School of Architecture and

Ornamental Design in Hoa rlem, ha ving learnt graphic

techniques from S. Jessurun de Mesquita, Iwas very muchunder the influence of this teacher, whose strongpersonality certainly left its mark on the maj ority o f his

pupils. At hat period thewoodcut (that is o say the cu ttingwith gouges in a side-grained block of wood, usuallypear) was more in vogue wi th graphic artists than is thecase today. I inherited from my teacher his predilection for

side-grained wood, and one of the reasons for my everlasting gratitude to him stems from the fact that he taugh

me how to handle this material. During the first seven

yea rs of my time in Ita ly I used nothing else. It lends itselfbetter than the costly end -g rained wood, to large-sized

figures. In my youthful recklessness I ha ve gouged awayat

eno rmous pieces of pearwood, not short of three feet inleng th and perhaps two feet w ide. I was not unti ll929 tha

Imademy first lithograph, and then in 19311 tried my hand

for the fi rst time at wood-engraving, that is to sayengraving with burins on an end-grain block. Yet eventoday the woodcut remains for me an essential medium.

Whenever one needs a greater degree of tinting orcolou ring in order to communicate one' s ideas, and for

th is reason has to produce more than one block, the

wood cut offers many advantages over wood-engraving,and there have been many paints in recent years that

could not ha ve produced had I not gained a thoroughknowledge of the advantages of side-grained wood. Inmaking a colourprint I have often combined both of heseraised ·relief techniques, using end-grain for details inblack, and side-grain for the colours.The period du ring which I devoted such enthusiasm to myresearch into the characteristics of graphic materials and

during which I ca me to realize the limitations hat one musimpose on onese lf when deal ing with them, lasted from

1922 until about 1935. During that time o Iorge numberoprints came into being (about 70 woodcuts and

engravings and some 40 lithographs) . The greate



Classification and description

of the numbered reproductions

egular division of a pl ne with two symmetrical nd

congruent motifs

I. Early prints 1 7

Th e seven prints in this group, selected from a Iorgenumberwhichwere made before 1937, display no unity as

for os their subject matter is concerned. They are allrepresentations of observed reality. Even no. 7 (Dream),although pure fantasy, consists of elements which, taken

separately, are rea listically conceived.

1. Tower of Babel woodcut, 1928, 62 x 38.5 emOn the assumption that the period of language confusioncoincided with the emergence of different races, some of

the bui lding workers ore wh ite and others black. The work

is at a standstill because they are no longer able to under

stand each other. Seeing that the climax of the drama

ta kes place at the summit of the tower which is under

construction, the bui lding has been shown from above, as

thoughfrom a bird seyeview. Thiscalledforaverysharp ly

receding perspective. It was not until twenty years laterthat this problem was thorough ly thought out. (see 63,

Another World et seq).

2. Castrovalva lithograph, 1930, 53 x 42 em

A mountainous landscape in the Abruzzi.

3. Palm woo d-engraving printed from two blocks,1933, 39.5 x 29.5 em

4. Portrait of the engineer G. A. Escher father of the

artist, in his 92nd year, lithograph, 1935, 26.5 x 21 em

7

In the case of the portraiture of someone w ith stronglasymetrical features, a great deal of the likeness is lost ithe print, for this is the mirror image of the original workIn this inst ance a contra print was made; that is to say, whilthe ink of the first print was still wet on the paper, this wa

printed on to a second sheet, thereby annulling the mirro

image. The proof brings out the signature that h

himself wrote on the stone with lithographic chalk an

which is now to be seen, doubly mirrored, back in i

original form.

5 . Fluorescent sea lithograph, 1933,

33 x 24 .5 em

6. St. Peter Rome wood-engraving, 1935,24 x 32 em

The convergence of the vertical lines towards the nadi

suggests the height of the building in which the viewe

finds himself togetherwith the fee ling ofvertigothattake

hold of him when he looks down.

7. Dream woodcut, 1935, 32 x 24 emIs the bishop dreaming about a praying locust, or is th

whole conception a dream of the artist?

II. The regular division of a plane 8 35

This is the richest source of inspiration that I have eve

struck; nor has it yet dried up. The symmetry dr awings o

the foregoing and following pages show how a surfac

can be regularly divided into, or filled up with, similarshaped figures which are contiguous to one another

without leaving any open spaces .

The Moors were past masters of this. They decoratewa lls and floors, particularly in the Alhambra in Spainby placing congruent, multi-coloured pieces o

majolica together without leaving any space

between. What a pity it is that Islam did not permthem to make g raven images . They always restrictethemselves, in their massed t iles, to designs of an abstrac

geometrical type. Not one single Moorish artist, to th

best of my knowledge, ever made so bold {or maybe th

idea never occurred to him) as to use concreterecognizable, naturistically conceived figures of fish

birds, reptiles or human beings as e lements in theirsurfac



ymmetry draw ing A

ymmetry drawing B

ymmetry draw ing C

8

coverage. This restriction is all the more unaccepta

to me in that the recognizability of the componentsmy own des igns is the reason fo r my unfa ili ng interin this sphere.

a. Glide Reflexion 8 9 10

Anyone who wishes to achieve symmetry on a fla t surfamust take account of th ree funda mental principlescrystallography: repeated shift ing {translation); turnabout axes (rotation) and glid ing mirror ima

{reflexion). It would be an exaggerat ion to attemptdiscuss al l th ree of them in th is shor t treatise, but seeithat glide reflexion is defi nitely displayed in three of

prints, I must pay specia l attention to it.

8. Swans wood-eng rav ing, 1956, 20 x 32 em

Th e swans in this exampl e of glide reflexion are flyiround in a closed ci rcuit for med like a recumbent figueight. In order to pass over to its mirror image, each b

has go t to raise itself up like a flat biscuit sprinkled wsugar on one side and spread withchocolate on the othIn the middle, where the white and bl ack streams crothey fi ll up each other s open spaces. So a complete

square surface pattern is created . {See also symme

drawing B

9 Horsemen woodcut printed from three bloc1946, 24 x 45 em

In orde rto indicatetha tthe light-sha ded horsemen are tmirror images of the dark-shaded ones, a circular band

portrayed on which a procession of horsemen movforwa rd. One can imagine it to be a length of materi

with a pattern woven into it, the warp and woof beingdifferent colours. Th e dark knigh ts on the ligbackground thereby change colou r on the reverse sideth e band. In the middle both front and back have becomenmeshed, and now it ap pears that light and da

horsemen together f ill up the space completely. See al

symmetry drawing A.

10. Two intersecting planes woodcut printed fromthree blocks, 1952, 22 x 32 em

Two thin, fla t rectangular boards intersect each other a

slight angle. Holes have been sawn in each board leavi

openings shaped like f ishes and birds. The holes in o

board can be filled up by the remaining parts of the oth

boa rd. The jigsaw pieces of the one ore mirror images

those in the other {see also symmetry draw ing C .

b The function of figures as a bac:kgrou nd -14

O ur eyes are accustomed to f ixing upon a specific obje

Th e moment th is happens everything round abobecomes reduced to background.

11 Day and night woodcu t printed from two block1938, 39 x 68 em

Grey rectangu lar f ields develop upwards into si lhouettof white and black birds; the black ones a re flying towar

the left and the white ones towards the right, in twopposing format ions. To the left of the p icture the wh

birds flow together and merge to form a daylight sky an

landscape. To the r ight the black birds melt together innight . Th e day and night landscapes are mirror mages



each other, united by means of he grey fields out of which,once aga in, the birds emerge.

12. Sun and moon wo odcu t printed from four blocks,1948, 25 x 27.5 emThe subject of this coloured woodcut is once again the

contrast between day and night. But in this instance the

two notions ore not, as in prin t 11, pictured as next to each

other but in the some plac though not simul taneous,

being sepa rated by a leap of the mind. It is da y-tim e when

there is a sun shinin g in the centre, where the sun is

shooting outyellow and red rays. Aga inst this backgroundstand out fourteen dark blue birds. As soon as one divests

them of their function as objects an d regards them as

ba ckground, then there appear fourteen lig ht coloured

bi rdsagainst a night sky, with a crescent moon in the centreand with stars, planets and a comet.

13. Sky and water I woodcut, 1938, 44 x 44 emIn the horizontal central strip there are birds and fish

equivalent to each other. We associate flying with sky, and

so for each of the block birds the sky in wh ich it is flying is

formed by the four white fish which encircle it. Similarlyswimming makes us think of water, and therefore the fourblack b irds that surround a fish become the water in which

it swims.

14. Sky and water II, woodcut, 1938, 62 x40 .5 emSim ilar n subjecttothatin no. 13 Sky and Water 1), except

that the birds and fishes are to be seen here in direct as wellas in mirror image.

c Development of form and contrast 15-16-17

15. Liberation lithograph, 1955, 43.5 x 20 emOn the uniformly grey surface of a strip of paper that is

being un ro lled, a simultaneous development in form and

contrast is taking place. Triangles, at first scarcely visible,ch ange into more comp cated figures, whilst the co lour

contrast between them in creases. In the midd le they aretransformed into white and black b irds, and from there flyoff into the world as ind epende nt creatures. And so the

strip of pape r on which they were drawn disappears.

16. Development I woodcut, 1937, 44 x 44 em

Scarcely visible g rey squares at the edges evolve in form

and contrast towards the centre. Their g rowth iscompleted in the middle. An unsatisfactory feature of th is

kind of inward -directed unfolding is that there is so littlespace left for th.e freedom of movement of the most

greatly developed figures: two whi te and two black

reptiles.

17. Verbum lithograph, 1942 , 33 x 38 .5 emAn evolution working from the centre outwards, thus the

opposite way round to the previous print, offe rs more

space a t the edges for the fully grown figures. The central

word Verbum recalls the b iblical story ofcreation. Out

of a misty grey th e re loom triangular primeval figureswhich, by the time they reach the edges of the hexagon,have developed in to birds, fishes and frogs, each in its own

ele ment: ai r, water and earth. Each kind is pictured by day

and by night, and the crea tures merge into each other as

they move forwa rd along the ou tline of the hexagon , in aclockwise direction.

9

d. Infinity of number 18-27

If all component ports are equa l in size, it is impossible t

represent more tha n a fragment of a regular p lane-fi lling

If one wishes to illustrate on infinite number then one mus

have recourse to a g radual red uction in the size of thfigures, until one reaches- at any rote theoretically- th

lim it of infinite smallness.

18. Sphere surface with fishes woodcut printed from

two blocks, 1958, diameter 32 em

Th e previous print demonstrated a return motion towardthe starting point. There now follow va riations on tha

theme, with two cores, a starting point and an end poin

between which the chains of figures move. Here, as a firsexample, is a sphere with two poles and a ne twork o

lon g itudinal and lat itudinal circles. Swimming spirallou twards from the one visible po le, there come alternat

rows of white and black fishes. They attain their greates

size on reaching the equator and thereafter they becom

smaller and disap pear into the other, invisible, po le on thfor side of the sphe re.

19. Path of life II woodcut printed from two blocks

1958, 37 x 37 em

Here, too, thepointof infinitesmallnessisinthecentre. Thitime an attempt has been ma de to e li minate th

unsa tisfactory fea tu re o an illogical lim it. The area is fillewith white and grey fish-shaped figures whos

longitudina l axes ore accentuated by black lines. Ou

from the central point come fou r series of white fish {rays

swimming head to tail in a spiral motion. The four larges

specimens, which close off the square surface, chang

direction a nd co lour; th eir wh ite tails still belong to th

ce ntrifugal movement, but th eir grey heads ore a lread

tu rning inwards and so form part of the grey series whichore moving back towards the centre.

20. Smallerand smaller wood-engraving printed from

four blocks, 1956, 38 x 38 emThe area of each of the rept e-shaped e lements of thipattern is regu la rly and continuo usly halved in the direction of the centre, where theoretically both infinitsmallness of size and infinite greatness of number are

reached. However, in practice, the wood-engraver soon

comes to the en d of hi sabi lity to carry on. He is dependen

on foudactors: 1. the qu a lity of his wood-block, 2. thesharpness of the instrument that he is using, 3. the

steadiness of his hand an d , 4. his optical ability good

eyesight, plenty of light and a powerfu l magnifying lens)In this particular case, the halving of the figures is ca rriedthro ug h ad absurdum .The sm a llest animal still possessina head, a ta iland four legs is about 2 mil limetres in le ngth

From the point of view of composition, this work is onlypartially satisfactory. In sp ite of the central limit, it remain

only a fragment, because the outer edge of the pattern

has been arbitrarily fixed. So a comp lete composition ha

not been achieved.

21. Whirlpools wood-engraving printed fromtwo blocks, 1957, 45 x 23.5 emClosely related to the foregoing picture, there is here

displayed a flat surface with two visible cores. These are

bound toge ther by two white S-shaped spirals, drawn

through the bodily axes of, once again , fish swimm ing



head to tail. But in this case they move forward in opposite

directions.The uppercore s the starting point or he dark

coloured series, the component members of which attain

their greatest size in the middle of the picture. From then

on, they come wi thin the sphere of influence of the lower

core, towa rdsw hich they keep on swirling until theydisappear within it. The other, light-coloured, line makes thesame sort of journey but in the opposite direction. As amatterof special printing technique, I would point out that

only one wood-block is used for both colours, thesehaving been printed one after the other on the same sheet

of paper, and turned 180 degrees in reflection to eachother. The two prints fill up each other's open spaces.

22. Circle limit I woodcut, 1958, diameter 42 em

Sofarfourexamples have been shown with po intsas limitsof infini te smallness. A diminution in the size of the figuresprogressing in the opposite direction, i.e. from withinoutwards, leads to more satisfying results. The limit is no

longera point, but a line which bordersthewholecomplex

and gives it a logical boundary. In this way one creates, asit were, a universe a geometrical enclosure. If theprogressive reduction in size radiates in all directions at anequal rate, then the limit becomes a circle. In the example

in q u ~ s t o n (chronolog ically the fi rst of the three wh ich

have been included in this book), the arrangement of thecomponent parts still lea ves much to be desired. All thelines, once again accentuated by the bodi ly axes, consistof alternating pairs of fish, two wh ite ones head to head

and two black ones whose ta ils touch. So there is no

continuity here, no direction offorward movement, nor s

there any unity of colour in each line.

23. Square limit woodcut printed from two blocks,1964, 34 x 34 em

Design number 20 {Smaller and smaller) showed apattern composed of elements continuously reduced by

half as they move in the direction of the centre. A similar

system of halving was adapted here, but this time moving

from with in outwards. The limit of the infinitely smal lshapes is reached on the straight sides of the square.

24. Circle limit I l l , woodcut printed from five blocks,1959, diameter 41.5 emHere the fa ilings of the previous wo rk are as far aspossible remedied. White curved lines cut across each

other and divide one another into sections, each of wh ichequals the length of a fi sh. They mark the routes along

which series offish move forward, from the infinitely small,through the greatest size, to infinitely small. Each series

comprises fish of only one colour. It s necessary to have at

least four colours so as to get the lines of fish to con trastwi th each other. It isworth mentioning, from the point of

view of printing technique, that five wood-blocks weremade, oneforthe black inesand fourfor thecolours. Eachblock has the shape of a right-ang led segment and so hasto be printed four times over in order to fill the circle.Therefore a complete copy of thisprint requires 4x 5 = 20

impress ions.

25. Circle limit iv {Heaven and Hell), woodcut printed

from two blocks 1960, diameter 41.5 em

Here, too, we ha ve the components dimi nishing in size asthey move outwards. The six largest (three white angelsand three black devils) are arranged about the centre and

10

radiate from it. The di sc is divided nto six sections in whiturn and turn about, the angels on a black backgrou

and then the devils on a wh ite one, gain the upper ha

In this way, heaven and hell change place six times. In

intermediate, earthly stages, they are equivalent.

26. Fishes and scales woodcut, 1959, 38 x 38 em

The final example in thisgroup brings in two different soof mutation, carr ied out at one and the same time, tha

to say both shape and size. Th e double process compleitself twice over. In the upper part of the print, from ri

to left, sca les grow into fish that keep on increasing in sIn the lower half the same th ing happens, but from lef

right .

27 . Butterflies wood-engraving, 1950, 28 x 26 em

Working downwards from the top to the centre, the wharea is divided up by black con tours of increasthicknesswhich takeon ever larger butterfly shapes; thecontinue to develop.

e . Story pictures 28 33

Th e chief characteristic of the six followi ng prints istransition from flat to spatial and vice versa. We think

terms of an interp lay between the stiff, crystallized twdimensional figures of a regular pattern and the ind

dual freedom of three-dimensional creatures capable

moving about in space without hindrance. On the o

hand, the members of planes of collectivity come to lifespace; on the other, the free ndividuals sink back and lo

themselves in the com munity. A row of identical spa

beings such as those to be found in the prints of this gro

often emerges to be treated as a single individual

motion. This is a static method of illustrating a dynam

fact. A few prints from each group, such as {Day a

night), 15 {Liberation) and 17 {Verbum) might alsocounted in this category, were it not for the fact that th

chief characteristic differs from that of the ones we ha

just been considering.

28 . Reptiles lithograph, 1943, 33.5 x 38.5 em

The life cycle of a little alligator. A mid all kinds of objec

a drawing book lies open, and the drawing on viewmosaic of reptilian figures in three contrasting shadEvidently one of them has tired of lying flat and rig

amongst his fellows so he puts one plastic-looking

over the edge of the book, wrenches him self free a

launches out nto rea life. He climbs up the back of a bo

on zoology and works his laborious way up the slippe

slope of a set square to the highest point of his existenThen after a quick snort, tired but fulfilled, he godownhill again, via on ashtray, to the level surface, to th

flat drawing paper, and meekly rejoins his erstwhfriends, taking up once more his function as an elemen

surface division.

N .B. The little bookofJob has nothing to do with the Bibbut contains Belgian cigarette papers.

29. Cycle lithograph, 1938, 47 .5 x 28 emAt the top right-hand corner a jolly young lad compopping out of his house. As he rushes downstairs he loshis special quality and takes his place in a pattern of l

grey, white and black fellow-shapes. Towards the left a



upwards these become simplified into lozenges. Thedimension of depth is achieved by the combination of

three diamonds which give the impression of a cube. Thecube is joined on to the house from which the boy emerges.

The floor of a terrace is laid w ith the same familiar pattern

of diamond-shaped tiles. Th e hilly landscape at the top isintended to display the utmost three-dimension al realism,while the periodic pattern at the lower part of the pictureshows the greatest possible amount of two-dimensionalrestriction of freedom.

30. Encounter lithograph, 1944, 34 x 46.5 emOut from the grey surface of a back wall there develops a

complicated pattern of white and black figures of li ttlemen. And since men who desire to live need at least a floorto wa lk on, a floor has been designed for them, with acircular gap in the middle so that as much as possible can

sti ll be seen of the back wal l. In this way they are forced,notonlytowalkin a ring, but a Isoto meeteach other n theforeground: a white optimist and a black pessimist

shaking hands with one another.

31. Magic mirror li thograph, 1946, 28 x 44.5 emOn a tiled floor there stands a vertical reflecting screen out

of which a fabulous animal is born. Bit by bit it emerges,

until a complete beast walks away to the right. His mirrorimage setsofftowards the left, but he seems fairly substantial, for beh ind the reflecting screen he appears in quite arealistic guise. First of all they walk in a row, then two by

two, and finally both streams meet up four abreast. At the

same time they lose their plasticity. Like pieces of a ji9sawpuzzle they slide into one anothe r, fill up each other' sinterstices and fade into the floor on which the mirrorstands.

32. Metamorphose woodcut printed from twenty-nineblocks, 1939-40 and 1967-68, 19.5 x 700 emA long series of changing shapes. Out of the word

Metamorphose placed vertically and horizontally o n

th.e level surfa ce, with the letters 0 and M ( Greek E) aspoints of intersection, there emerges a mosaic of white

and black squares that changes into a carpet of flowersand leaveson which two bees have settled. Thereupon theflowers and leaves change back into squares aga in , onlyto be transformed once more, this time into animal shapes.

To use musical termino logy, we are dealing here with fourfour time.

Now the rhythm changes; a third shade is added to the

w hite and black and the measure changes to three-four

time. Each figure becomes simplified and the pattern

which at first was composed of squ ares now consists of

hexagons. Then fol lows an association of ideas; hexagons

makeone think ofthecellsin a honeycomb, and so in everycell there appears a bee la rva . The fully grown larvae tu rninto bees which fly off into space. But they are not

vo uchsafed o long life of freedom , for soon their blacksilhouettes join together to form a background for whitefish. As these also fuse together, the interstices seem to

take on the form of b lock birds. Similar transformations of

background objects now appear several times: dark

birds .. light-coloured boots .. dark fish ... light horses ..

dark birds. These become simplified into a pattern of

equilateral triangles which serve for a short whi le as acanvas on which winged letters are depicted but then

quickly turn once more into black bird shapes. Small gre

birds begin to appear in the white background and the

gain in size until theircontours equalthoseof heir fellowsSuch areas of white that still remain take on the form of

third variety of bird so that there are now three differenkinds, each with its own specific form and colour, filling th

surface completely. Now for another simplification: eac

b ird turns into a lozenge. Ju st as in print number 2

(CycleL this is an opportunity to pass over to the threedimensional, as three diamond shapes suggest a cube

The blocks give rise to a c ity on the sea-shore. The towe

standing in the water isat the sometime a piece in a gamof chess; the board for this game, with its light and dar

squares, leads back once more to the letters of the wor

Metamorphose .

33. Predestination lithograph, 1951 , 29 x 42 emAn aggressive, voracious fish and a shy and vulnerabl

bird are the actors in this drama: such co ntrasting traits o

character lead inevitably to the denouement. A regula

pattern floats like a ribbon in space. Lower down, in th

middle, this picture strip is made up of fish and birds, bu

by a substitution of figures, on ly birds remain on the lefside and fish on the right. Out from these gradually fadin

extremiti es, one representative of ea ch sort breaks loos

- a black, devilish fish and a white bird, all innocence, busad to say irrevocably doomed to destruction. The fate o

each is played out in the foreground.

f. Irregular filling of plane surfaces 34 35

The next two prints consist offigures that do not in anywa

repeat themselves in similar form. So they do not real lbe long to group ; neverthe less they we re added to

because they do in fact ha ve their surfaces filled up, witno spaces left empty.

What is more, they could never have been produced

w ithout years of training in regular surface-filling. Th

recognizability of the ir components as natural objectplays a more important ro le. The on ly reason for thei

existence is one's enjoyment of th is difficult game, withouany ul te rior motive.

34. Mosaic I, mezzotint, 1951, 14.5 x 20 emRegularity of construction can be recognized in thirectangular mosaic in that, both as regards height andbreadth, three light and three dark figures alternate li kthe squares on a chessboard. With the exception of thshapes round the edge, every white one is surrounded b

four black ones and every black by four white. The sumtotal can immediately be ascertained: 36 pieces, 18 whitand 18 black.

35. Mosaic II lithograph, 1957, 32 x 37 em

In this case the only regularity to be noted is threctangularity of the complete surface. There are but fewof the inner figures bordered by four adjacent ones. Thdirect environment of the frog consists of two figures; th

guitar is hemmed in by three, the cock by five and thostrich if that is what it really is) by six. The sum to tal can

only be arrived at by careful counting.



Ill. Unlimited spaces 36 37 38

36. Depth wood-engraving printed from three

blocks 1955 32 x 23 emHere too space is divided up cubically. Each fish is found

at the intersection of three lines of fish all of which crosseach other at right-angles.

37. Cubic space division lithograph 195227 x 26.5 emIntersecting each other at right angles girders d ivide

each other into equal lengths each forming the edge of acube. In this way space is filled to infinity with cubes of the

same size.

38. Three intersecting planes wo odcut printed fromtwo blocks 1954 32.5 x 37 .5 emThree planes intersecteach other at rightangles. They are

indicated by squa re tiles with the same number of squa regaps between them. Each plane recedes in perspective toa vanishing point and the three vanishing points coincidewith the points of an equilateral triangle.

IV Spatial Rings and Spirals 39 46

39. Knots woodcut printed from three blocks 1965

43 x 32 em

Three unbroken knots are displayed here; that is to say asimpl e kno t has been tied three times over in a cord the

ends of wh ich run into each other. The perpendicular

cross-section of each knot isdifferent. In the top right hand

examp le the profile is round as in a sausage; the top left

one is cruciform with two flat bands intersecting each

other at right angles; below is a square hollow pipe withgaps through w hich the inside can be seen. If we start at

any arbitrary point and fo ow a flat wa with the eye then

it appears that we ha ve to make four rounds before wecome back to our point of departure. So th e pipe does not

consist of four separate strips but of one which runsthrough the knot four times. The knot shown at the top

right-hand corner is in principle every bit as interestingbut it remains undiscussed here as the draughtsman

hopes to devote a more detailed print to it in the future.

40. Moebius band II woodcut printed from three

blocks 1963 45 x 20 emAn endless ring-shaped band usually has two distinctsurfaces one inside and one outside. Yet on this strip ninered ants crawl after each other and travel the front side as

well as the reverse side. Therefore the strip has only one

surface.

41. Concentric rinds wood -engraving 1953 24 x 24 emFour spherical concentric rinds are illuminated by acentral source of light. Each rind consists of a network ofnine large circles which divide the surface of the sphere

in to forty-eight similar shaped spherical triangles.

42. Spirals wood-engraving printed from two blocks1953 27 x 33.5 emFour spira lling strips come together to form a curved

2

casing which as a narrowing torus returns to the pla

where it began penetrates within itself and starts onsecond round.

43 . Sphere spirals woodcut printed from four bloc1958 diameter 32cmHere just as in no. 18 a sphere is shown with a networklongitudinal and latitudinal circles. Four spirals twist thway around the spherical surface infini te ly small at

poles and broadest at the equator. Half of its yellexterior is visible. Through open la nes in its side the

interior can be followed to the opposite pole.

44. Moebius band I wood-engraving printedfrom fblocks 1961 24 x 26 emAn end less band has been cut through down its wh

length. The two sections have been drawn apart freach othe r a little sothata clear space divides them allway round. Thus the band ought to fall apart into tunattached rings and yet apparently it consists of o

single strip made up of three fish each biting the tai lof

one in front. They go round twice before rega ining thpoint of departure.

45. Rind wood-engraving printed from four bloc

1955 34.5 x 23.5 emLike the spirally shaped peel of a fruit and like a holl

fragmented sculpture the image of a woman flothrough space. The sense of depth is enhanced by a ba

of clouds which diminishes towards the horizon.

46. Bond of union lithograph 1956 26 x 34 emTwo spirals merge and portray on the left th e head o

woman and on the right that of a man. As an endl

band their foreheads intertwined they form a doub

unity. The suggestion of space is magnified by sphe

which float in front of within and behind the hollimages.

V Mirror images 47 54

a. Reflections in water 47 48 49

47. Rippled surface lino cut printed from two bloc1950 26 x 32 em

Two raindrops fall into a pond and with the concentrexpanding ripples thattheycause disturb the still reflexiof a tree with the moon behind it. The rings shownperspect ive afford the on ly means whereby the recedisurface of the water is indicated.

48 . Puddle woodcutprintedfromthreeblocks 1952

24 x 32 emThe cloudless evening sky is reflected in a puddle whicrecent shower has left in a woodland path. The trackstwo motor cars two bicycles and two pedestrians a

impressed in the foggy ground.

49. Three worlds lithograph 1955 36 x 25 em

Th is picture of a woodland pond is made up of thr

elements: the autumn leaves which show the recedisurface of the water the reflexion of three trees in



background and, in the foreground, the fish seen through

the clear wa ter.

b. Sphere reflexions 50 54

50. Still life with reflecting globe lithograph, 1934 28.5 x 32.5 em

The same reflecting globe as the one shown in no. 5

Hand wi th Reflecting GiebeL but in this case viewedsideways on, like a bottle wi th a neck.

51. Hand with reflecting globe lithograph, 193532 x 21.5 emA reflect ing globe rests in the artist shand.ln his mirror he

can have a much more comp lete view of his surroundingsthan by direct observation, for nearly the whole of thearea around im four wa lls the floor and ceiling of hisroom are compressed, albeit distorted , within this littledisc. His head, or o be more precise, the point between hiseyes comes in the absolute centre. Whichever way he

turns he remains at the centre. The ego is the unshakablecore of his world.

52. Three spheres II lithograph , 1946 26 x 47 emThree spheres, of equal size but different in aspect, are

placed next to each other on a shiny table. The one on theleft is made of glass and filled with water, so it is transparent but also reflects. It magnifies the structure of he table

top on which it rests and at the same time mirrors aw indow. The right-hand sphere, with its matt surface,presents a light side and dark side more clearly than the

other two. The attributes of the middle one are the sameas those described in connection w ith no. 5 ; the whole of

the surrounding area is reflected in it. Furthermore itachieves, in two different ways, a triple unity, for not only

does it reflect its companions to left and right, but all threeof them are shown in the drawi ng on which the artist is

working.

53. Dewdrop mezzotint, 1948 8 x 24.5 emThis leaf from a succulent plant was in fact about 1 nch in

length. On it lies a dewdrop which shows a reflection of awindow and ye t at the same time serves as a lens whichmagnifies the structure ofthe leaf-veins. Quaintly shapedair-pockets, shining white, are trapped between the leaf

and the dewdrop.

54. Eye mezzotint, 1946 5 x 20 em

Here the artist has drawn his eye, greatly enlarged, in aconcave shaving mirror. The pupil reflects the one who

watches us all.

VI. Inversion 55 56

It was stated in connection wi th print no. 29 that acombination of three diamond-shapes can make a cube.Yet it still remains an open question as to whether we are

looking at this cube from within or without. The mentalreversal, this inward or outward turning, this invers ion of

a shape, is the game that is played in the two following

prints.

13

55. Cube with magic ribbons lithograph, 1957

3 x 3 emTwo endless circular bands, fused together in four places,are curved around the diagonals of a cube. Each strip hasa row of button-like protuberances. If w follow one of

these series wi th the eye then these nodules surrept itiouslychange from convex to concave.

56. Concave and convex lithograph, 195528 x 33.5 em

Three litt le houses stand near one another, each under a

crossvaulted roof. We have an exterior view of the lefthand house, an interiorview of the right-hand one and aneither exterior view or interior view of the one in themiddle, according to choice. There are several similar

inversions illustrated in this print; let us describe one of

them. Two boys are to be seen, playing a flute. The one onthe left is looking down through a w indow on to the roof

of the middle house; if he were to climb out of he window

he cou ld stand on this roof. And then i f he were to jump

down in front of it he would land up one storey lower, onthe dark-coloured floor before the house. And yet theright-hand flautist who regards that same cross-vault as aroof curving above his head, will find, if he wants to climb

out of his w indow that there is no floor for him to land on,

only a fathomless abyss.

VII. Polyhedrons 57 62

57. Double planetoid wood-engraving, printed fromfour blocks, 1949 diameter 37.5 emTwo regular tetrahedrons, piercing each other, f loat

through space as a planetoid . The light-coloured one is

inhabited by human beings who have completelytransformed their region into a complex of houses,br idgesand roads. The darker te trahedron has remained

in its natural state, with rocks, on which plants andprehistoric animals live. The two bodies fit together tomake a whole but they have no knowledge of each other.

58. Tetrahedral planetoid woodcut printed from two

blocks, 1954 43 x 43 em

This little planet inhabited by humans has the shape of aregular tetrahedron and is encircled by a sphericalatmosphere. Two of the four triangular surfaces with

which this body is faced, are visible. The edges w hichseparate them divide the picture into two. All the verticalli nes: the walls, houses, trees and people, point in thedirection of the core of the body - its centre of gravi ty

and all th e horizontal surfaces, gardens, roads, stretches

of wa ter n pools and canals are parts of a spherical crust.

59. Order and chaos lithograph, 1950 28 x 28 emA stellar dodecahedron is placed in the cent re and is

enclosed in a translucent sphere like a soap bubble. Thissymbol of order and beauty reflects the chaos in the shapeof a heterogeneous collection of all sorts of useless,

broken and crumpled objects.

60. Gravitation lithograph, coloured by hand, 1952

30 x 3 emHere once aga in is a stellar dodecahedron, encased in



twelve flat, five-pointed stars. On each of these platformslives a tailless monster with a long neck and four legs. He

sits there with his lump caught beneath a flat-sidepyramid , each wall ofwh ich hasan opening, and through

this opening the creature sticks hishead and legs. But thepointed extremity of one animal's dwelling platform is atthe same time the wa ll of one of his fellow-sufferer'sprisons. All these triangular protrusions function both asfloors and as wa lls; so it comesabout that his print, the astin the seriesof polyhedrons, serves also as a transition to

the relativity group.

61. Stars wood -engraving, 1948, 32 x 26 emSingle, double and triple regu lar bodies float like starsthrough spa ce. In the midst of them is a system of threeregular octahedrons, indicated by their edges only. Twochameleons have been chosen as denizens of thisframework, because they are able to cling by their legsand tails to the beams of their cage as it sw ir ls throughspace.

62 . Flat worms lithograph, 1959 , 34 x 41.5 emBricks are usua lly rectangular, because in that way theyare most sui table for building the vert ical wa lls o f our

houses. But anyone who has anything to do with the

stacking of stones of a non -cubic type w ill be well awareof other possib ilities. For instance, one can make use of

tetrahedrons alternating with octahedrons. Such are thebasic shapes which are used to raise the buildingillustrated here. They are not practicable for humanbeings to build with, because they make neither vertical

walls nor horizonta l floors. However, when this building isfilled with water, flat worms can sw im in it.

VIII. Relativities 63-67

The underlying ideo in the following pictures is basicallythis: befo re pho tography was invented, perspective wasalways closely linked with horizon . Yet even at the time of

the Renaissance it was known that not only do thehorizontallinesofo building meet at a pointon the horizon(the famous vanish ing point ), but also the vertical linesmeet downward s at the nadir and upwa rds at the zenith.This is obvious w ith old ceil ing-paintings which havever tical perspective receding lines, such as pillars. But now

that photography ispart of our everyday lives, we reallyhave come to understand vert ical perspective. We haveonly to point our lens at the top or at the bottom of abu ilding to realize that architectural draughtsmen ore

simply taking the easy way out when they indicate

everything that stands vertically, in their perspectiveprojections, with parallel lines. In the following printsthevanishing po int has several different functions at one and

the-same time. Sometimes it is situated on the horizon, thenad ir and the zenith all at once.

63. Another world II wood-engraving printed fromthree blocks, 1947, 31.5 x 26 emThe interior of a cube-shaped building. Openings in thefive visible walls give views of three di fferen t landscapes.Th rough the topmost pair one looks down, almostvertica lly, onto the ground ; the middle wo are at eye-level

14

and show the horizon, while through the bottom pair o

looks straight up to the stars.

Each plane of the building, which unites nadir, horizand zenith, has a threefold function. For instance, the rplane in the centre serves as a wa ll in relation to

horizon, a floor in connectio n with the view through

top opening and a ceiling so far as the view to towardssta rry sky is concerned.

64 . High and low li thog raph, 1947, 50.5 x 20.5 em

In this print the same picture is presented twice over,viewed from two different points. The upperhalf showsview that an observer would get if he were about th

sto reys up; the lower half is the scene tha t would conf r

him if he were standing at ground level. If he shou ld tahis eyes off he latter and look upwards , then he wouldthe tiled floor on which he is standing, repeated ace iling in the centre of the composition . Yet this acts afloor for the upper scene. At the very top, this tiled flrepeats itself once again, purely as a ceiling.

65. Curl-up lithograph, 1951 , 17 x 23.5 em

The imaginary creature here portrayed and fudescribed goes into action in the following print.

66 . House of stairs lithograph, 1951 , 47 x 24 emN ow comes a further development of the concept

relativity that was displayed in the foregoing printsplayful element is introduced, one wh ich came up

discussion in connection w ith the regu lar dividing-up

surfaces, in other words glide reflexion. Roughly

whole of the top half of the print s the mirror image of

bottom half. The topmost flight of steps, down whiccurl -up iscrawling from left to right, is reflected twice ovonceinthe middleand then again nthe lower pa rt .On

stairs in the top right-hand corner, in the same way aalso shown in number 67, the distinction between asceing and descending is eliminated, for two rows of anim

are moving side by side, yet one row is going up andother down.

67 . Relativity lithograp h, 1953, 28 x 29 emHere we have three forces of gravity working perpdicularly to one another. Three earth-planes cut acreach other at right angles, and human beingsare livingeach of them.

It is impossible for the inhabitants of different worldswalk or sit or stand on the same floor, because they hdiffering conceptions of what is horizontal and wha

vertica l. Yet they may well share the use of the sastaircase.On the op sta ircase illustrated here, two peo

are moving sideby

sideand

in the some direction,and

one of them is going downstairs and the other upstaContactbetween them is out of the question because tlive in different worlds and therefore can haveknowledge of each other s exis tence.

IX . Conflict between the flat and the spatial68-

Our three-dimensional spa ce is the only true reality t



we know. Th e two-dimensional is every bit as fictitious as

the four-d imensional, for nothing is flat, not even the mostfinely polished mirror. And yet we stick to the co nvention

that a wa ll or a piece of paper is flat, and curiously

enough, we still go on, as we have done since timeimmemorial, producing illusions of space on just suchplane surfaces as those. Surely it is a bit absurd to draw afew l nes and then claim: Thi s is a house . This odd situa tion is the theme of the next live pictures.

68. Three spheres I, wood-engrav ing, 1945,

28 x 7 emAt the top of this print the spatia l nature of a g lobe isbrought out as strongly as possible. Yet it is not a globe at

all, merely the projection ofoneon a piece ofpaperwhich

cou ld be cut out as a disc. In the middle, just such a paper

disc is illustrated, butfolded in two halves, one portve rtical

and the other horizontal , with the top sphere resting on

this Iotter. At the bottom another such disc is shown, but

unfolded this time, and seen in perspective as a circularta b le top.

69. Drawing hands lithograph, 1948, 28.5 x 34 emA piece of paper is fixed to a base with drawing pins. Aright hand is busy sketching a shirt-cuffupon this drawin g

paper. Atthis po int its wo rk is incomplete, buta little furtherto the rightithasalreadydrawna left hand eme rging froma sleeve in such detail that this hand has come right up out

of he flat surface, and in its turn it is sketching the cuff fromwhich the right hand is emerging, a s though it we re a livingmember.

70. Balcony l thograph, 1945, 30 x 23.5 emThe spatial nature of these houses is a fiction. The twodimensiona lnature of the paper on which it isdrown is notdisturbed- unless we give it a bang from behind. But the

bulge that can be seen in the centre is an illusion too, forthe paper stays flat.All that has been achieved is on expansion, a quadruple

magnificationin

the centre.

71 Doric columns wood-engraving printed from three

blocks, 1945, 32 x 24 em

The lower part of the left-hand column suggests a heavythree-dimensional stone object, and yet it is noth ing more

than a bit of ink on a piece of paper. So is turns out to be

a flat strip of paper which, havi ng been folded three times,has got itse lf jammed between the ceiling and the capital

ofthe right-hand column. Butthesomething applies to theright-hand column itself; from above it resem bles a ribbon

lying flat on the floor with the left-hand co lumn restingupon it.

72. Print gallery lithograph, 1956, 32 x 32 emAs a va riation on the theme of the print Balcony, namely,magnification towards the centre, we have here an expan

sion which curves around the empty centre in a clockwisedirection. We come in through a door on the lower rightto an exhibition ga llery where there are prints on stands

and wa lls Firstofallwepassa visitorwith his hands behind

his back and then, in the lower left-hand corner, a youngman who is already four times as big . Even his head has

expanded in relation to his hand . He is looking at th e lastprint in a series on th e wa ll and glancing at its details, the

boat, the water and the houses in the background. Then

5

his eye moves further on from left to right, to the ever

expanding blocks of houses. A wo man looks down

through her open window onto the sloping roof whichcovers the exhibition ga lleryi and this brings us back to

where we started our circuit. The boy sees al l these thingsas two dimensional details of the print that he is studying.

If his eye explores the surface further then he sees himselfas a part of the pr int.

73. Dragon wood -engraving, 1952, 32 x 24 emHowever much this dragon tries to be spatial, he remains

comple tely flat. Two in cisions are made in the paper onwhich he is printed. Then it is fo lded in such a way as to

leave two square openings. But this dragon is an obstinate

beast, and in spite of his two dimensions he persists in

assuming that he has threei so he sticks his head through

one of the holes and his tail through the other.

X Impossible buildings 74 75 76

74. Belvedere lithograph, 1958, 46 x 29.5 em

In the lower left foreground there lies a piece of paper on

which the edges of a cube are drawn . Two small circlesmark the places where edges cross eac h other. Which

edge comes atthefront and which at the back? In a three

dimensional wo rld simultaneous front and back is an

impossibility and so cannot be illustrated . Yet it is qui te

possible to draw an object which displays a differentrea lity when looked at from above and from be low. Thelad sitting on the bench has got just such a cube-likeabsurdity in his hands. He gazes thoughtfully at thisincomprehensible ob ject and seems oblivious to the fa ctthat the be lvedere behind him has been built in the same

impossible style. On the floor of the lower platform, thatis

to say indoors, stands a ladder w hich two people are busycl imbing. Butas soon as they arrive a floor higher they are

back in the open air and ha ve to re-enter the building. Isit any wonder that nobody in this company can be

bothered about the fate of the prisoner in the dungeon

who sticks his head through the bars and bemoans hisfate?

75. Ascending and descending lithograph, 1960,

38 x 28.5 emThe en dless stairs which are the main motif of this picturewere taken from an a rticle by L S and R Penrose in the

February, 1958, iss ue of the British Journal of Psychology.A rectangular inner courtyard is bounded by a buildingthat is roofed in by a never-ending stairway. Theinhabitants of these living-q uarters would a ppear to be

monks, adherents of some unknown sect. Perhaps it is their

ritua l duty to climb those stairs for a few hours each day.It would seem that when they get tired they are allowed to

turn about and go downstairs instead of up. Yet both directions, though not without meaning, are equally useless.Two recalcitrant individuals refuse, for the time being, totake any part in this exercise. Th ey have no use for it at all,but no doubt sooneror later they will be brought to see the

error of their nonconformity.



76. Waterfall lithograph 1961 38 x 30 em

In the same art icle in the British Journal of Psychology aswas mentioned in connection with the foregoing print, R

Pen rose publishes the perspective drawing of a triangle. A

copy of this is reproduced here.It is composed of square beams which rest upon eachother at right-angles. If we follow the various parts of thisconstruction one by one we are unable to discover any

mistake in it. Yet it s an impossible who le because changessuddenly occur in the interpretation of distance betweenour eye and the object.

This impossible triang le is fitted three times over into thepicture. Falling water keeps a millwheel in motion and

subsequently flows along a slopir.g channel between two

towers, zigzagging down to the point where the waterfall

begins again. The miller simply needs to add a bucketfulof water from time to time, in order to compensate for loss

through evaporation The two towers are the same height

and yet the one on the right is a storey lower than the one

on the left.

16

Maurits Corne lis Escher, born in Leeuwarden, 17 J1898 received his first instruction in drawing atsecondary school in Arnhem, by F W van der Haag

who helped him to develop his graphic aptitudeteaching him the technique of the linoleum cut. F1919 to 1922 he studied at the School of Architec

and Ornamental Design in Haarlem, where he wasstructed in graphic techniques by S Jesserun de M

quita, whose strong personality greatly influenEscher s further development as a graphic artist. In 1he went to Ita ly and settled in Rome in 1924. During

ten-year stay in Italy he made many study tours, visiAbruzzia , the Amalfi coast, Calabria, Sicily, Co rs

and Spain. In 1934 he left Italy, spent two years in Szerland and five years in Brussels before settlingBaarn (Holland) in 1941, where he died on 27 Ma

1972, at the age of 73 years.



1

Tower o obel



2astrovalva



3

m



4G A Escher



6.

St. Peter Rome



7

ream



8

Swans



9

Horsemen



Two intersecting planes



11ay and night



un nd moon



3

Sky and w t r I



14

ky on woter



15

Liberation



16

Development I



17erbum



18 phere surface with fishes



ath o lif



20

Smaller nd smaller



21

hirlpools



? 2ircle \imil



quare l imit



2 A Circle \iroil Ill



25

Circle limit V



Butterflies



28

eptiles



30

n ount r



32Metamorphose



33

redest n t o n



34

osaic



35

osaic



epth



37

ubic space division



38

hree intersecting planes



nots



42

pirals



43 Sphere spirals



5ind



46

on of union



47

Rippled surface



48

Pu le



49

hree worl s



50t l l life with reflecting globe



51Hand w h reflecting globe



52

Three spheres



53 Dewdrop



ye



55

ube w t magic ri on s



56

oncave and convex



57Doubl planetoid



58

tr he r l pl netoid



9

Order and chaos



60

ravitation



61

tars



62

F t worms



63

nother rld



64

igh and low



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eenl nwegm

afllings t zetten met een van zijn dpie paren

~ o t e n , han net n grote snel'heio bereLl<en. .Oo k trekt net naar believen tijdens net rollen b Y . b ~ hetafdalen van een nelling,of om zun vaart uit te lopef )de P9:.ten in en gaat ,freewlleeleriae•1verder.Wanneerllet er a . n l e i . ~ding toe 'heeft 1<an llet op tweewlizen weer in wanael-posi tLe

o v e r ~ a a n : ten eerate abrupt ,door zijn lichaam plotseJingtestre"kken maar dan lfgtllt?t op'zijn rusr,met zijn poten in ae luent enten tweede doorgeJeideJUke snelneidsvermtnaerin$ (remming met aepoten) en langzame acnterwaartse o n t r o l l ~ n g l7l stustaande toestand.

65.Curl-up



Hous of stairs



l tivity



ree spheres I



rawing hands



70

alcony



71

oric co mns



72

rint gallery



7 _

ragon



elvedere



75Ascending and descending



76

aterfall

m.c. esch grap

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