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Escher on Escher by M.C. Escher
This book provides a solid image of Escher as he saw himself--not as an 'artist' but as an artisan, a graphic artist with heart and soul, obsessed by contrasts and possessed by a unique creativity.
Unknown Binding
First published March 25, 1989
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About the author
M.C. Escher
86 books187 followersMaurits Cornelis Escher, usually referred to as M.C. Escher, was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs and mezzotints. These feature impossible constructions, explorations of infinity, architecture and tessellations.
Maurits Cornelis, or "Mauk" as he came to be nicknamed, was was the youngest son of civil engineer George Arnold Escher and his second wife, Sara Gleichman. He was a sickly child, and was placed in a special school at the age of seven and failed the second grade. In 1903, the family moved to Arnhem where he took carpentry and piano lessons until he was thirteen years old.
From 1903 until 1918 he attended primary and secondary school. Though he excelled at drawing, his grades were generally poor. In 1919, Escher attended the Haarlem School of Architecture and Decorative Arts. He briefly studied architecture, but failed a number of subjects (partly due to a persistent skin infection) and switched to decorative arts. Here he studied under Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, with whom he would remain friends for years. In 1922 Escher left the school, having gained experience in drawing and making woodcuts.
In 1922, an important year in his life, Escher traveled through Italy (Florence, San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena) and Spain (Madrid, Toledo, Granada). He was impressed by the Italian countryside and by the Alhambra, a fourteenth-century Moorish castle in Granada, Spain. He came back to Italy regularly in the following years. In Italy he met Jetta Umiker, whom he married in 1924. The young couple settled down in Rome and stayed there until 1935, when the political climate under Benito Mussolini became unbearable. Their son, Giorgio Arnaldo Escher, named after his grandfather, was born in Rome. The family next moved to Château-d'Œx, Switzerland where they remained for two years.
Escher, who had been very fond of and inspired by the landscapes in Italy, was decidedly unhappy in Switzerland, so in 1937, the family moved again, to Ukkel, a small town near Brussels, Belgium. World War II forced them to move in January 1941, this time to Baarn, the Netherlands, where Escher lived until 1970. Most of Escher's better-known pictures date from this period. The sometimes cloudy, cold, wet of the Netherlands allowed him to focus intently on his works, and only during 1962, when he underwent surgery, was there a time when no new images were created.
Escher moved to the Rosa-Spier house in Laren in 1970, a retirement home for artists where he had his own studio. He died at the home at 73 years of age.
Maurits Cornelis, or "Mauk" as he came to be nicknamed, was was the youngest son of civil engineer George Arnold Escher and his second wife, Sara Gleichman. He was a sickly child, and was placed in a special school at the age of seven and failed the second grade. In 1903, the family moved to Arnhem where he took carpentry and piano lessons until he was thirteen years old.
From 1903 until 1918 he attended primary and secondary school. Though he excelled at drawing, his grades were generally poor. In 1919, Escher attended the Haarlem School of Architecture and Decorative Arts. He briefly studied architecture, but failed a number of subjects (partly due to a persistent skin infection) and switched to decorative arts. Here he studied under Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, with whom he would remain friends for years. In 1922 Escher left the school, having gained experience in drawing and making woodcuts.
In 1922, an important year in his life, Escher traveled through Italy (Florence, San Gimignano, Volterra, Siena) and Spain (Madrid, Toledo, Granada). He was impressed by the Italian countryside and by the Alhambra, a fourteenth-century Moorish castle in Granada, Spain. He came back to Italy regularly in the following years. In Italy he met Jetta Umiker, whom he married in 1924. The young couple settled down in Rome and stayed there until 1935, when the political climate under Benito Mussolini became unbearable. Their son, Giorgio Arnaldo Escher, named after his grandfather, was born in Rome. The family next moved to Château-d'Œx, Switzerland where they remained for two years.
Escher, who had been very fond of and inspired by the landscapes in Italy, was decidedly unhappy in Switzerland, so in 1937, the family moved again, to Ukkel, a small town near Brussels, Belgium. World War II forced them to move in January 1941, this time to Baarn, the Netherlands, where Escher lived until 1970. Most of Escher's better-known pictures date from this period. The sometimes cloudy, cold, wet of the Netherlands allowed him to focus intently on his works, and only during 1962, when he underwent surgery, was there a time when no new images were created.
Escher moved to the Rosa-Spier house in Laren in 1970, a retirement home for artists where he had his own studio. He died at the home at 73 years of age.
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
June 8, 2021
Escher's Magical and Lonely Garden.
We all know of M.C. Escher, but what do we really know about him beyond the few iconic prints that have passed through the veils of time into common cultural consciousness?
Can we tell that he was a lonely man wandering about in a garden of his own design? Or how crushing were the years of misunderstanding before he became famous following an art exhibition in his native Holland?
Perhaps, but the work he produced is so technically perfect and beautiful that this is unlikely lest we delve deeper.
Inspired by a 1924 paper by the mathematician George Polya (whose book, 'How To Solve It', led me here), and the Moorish art in the Spanish Alhambra, Escher's visions and personality found a supreme outlet in tesselation and tiling of the plane.
The dictatorial nature of gravity does Escher both abhor and adore, how it splits horizon and verticality. The metamorphosis of shapes occupied him greatly, and even if it were just the tiling the efforts would have been impressive enough... But that he produced these in a physical range of mediums through woodcuts and lithography etc indicates a depth of vision few of us can say we possess.
Escher speaks to us all in this book and through his various works. Sometimes there are deeper, hidden meanings and sometimes what we see is all there is to see. Or so Escher said. Yet, who among us can tell of the deep stirrings in the dark waters of our hearts and souls? They come out unconsciously as we cast our hopes into the bonfires of our ineffable dreams, as Escher's did in his works.
If you're curious about Escher and want to know more, this is a great starting point. I will certainly be reading more about his work and of the great man himself.
Rav.
We all know of M.C. Escher, but what do we really know about him beyond the few iconic prints that have passed through the veils of time into common cultural consciousness?
Can we tell that he was a lonely man wandering about in a garden of his own design? Or how crushing were the years of misunderstanding before he became famous following an art exhibition in his native Holland?
Perhaps, but the work he produced is so technically perfect and beautiful that this is unlikely lest we delve deeper.
Inspired by a 1924 paper by the mathematician George Polya (whose book, 'How To Solve It', led me here), and the Moorish art in the Spanish Alhambra, Escher's visions and personality found a supreme outlet in tesselation and tiling of the plane.
The dictatorial nature of gravity does Escher both abhor and adore, how it splits horizon and verticality. The metamorphosis of shapes occupied him greatly, and even if it were just the tiling the efforts would have been impressive enough... But that he produced these in a physical range of mediums through woodcuts and lithography etc indicates a depth of vision few of us can say we possess.
Escher speaks to us all in this book and through his various works. Sometimes there are deeper, hidden meanings and sometimes what we see is all there is to see. Or so Escher said. Yet, who among us can tell of the deep stirrings in the dark waters of our hearts and souls? They come out unconsciously as we cast our hopes into the bonfires of our ineffable dreams, as Escher's did in his works.
If you're curious about Escher and want to know more, this is a great starting point. I will certainly be reading more about his work and of the great man himself.
Rav.
Want to read
August 22, 2012I have long been an ignorant fan of Escher's work, but when the Akron Art Museum hosted a rare stateside exhibit, I was just mesmerized by the genius of it all. I picked up this book at the museum book store on the way out and it is just amazing. It contains letters that Escher wrote to friends expressing his thoughts on color, contrast, space, and time. It contains lectures that he prepared and delivered regarding how his work expresses his thoughts and so on.
May 5, 2021
This collection of writings by M. C. Escher includes some letters and essays not always found in other volumes. The biggest part of the book is from a series of lectures in English in which Escher covers a lot of his works, organized according to thematic elements he explored. The lectures are basically notes paired with slides. Both the notes and the slides are included in this book, resulting in a treasure trove of his writing and his art. The book ends with a short, sympathetic biography by Jan W. Vermeulen, a fellow graphic artist who knew Escher later in life.
Escher started out as an artist. He moved to Italy where he was inspired by the countryside. He struggled economically and eventually returned to The Netherlands. He took a trip to Spain where he visited the Alhambra, a Moorish palace in Granada. He was amazed at the wall decorations--abstract shapes in repeating patterns that could have extended to infinity. He wondered about using more concrete shapes, like humans or animals. As he worked at his craft, he discovered many techniques that made his work more complex and more fascinating. The art world was uninterested until the early 1950s when Escher himself was in his early 50s. Then an explosion of appreciation came, so much so that he complained that he spent more time stamping prints than crafting new works. Success never went to his head. Probably after years of poverty he had plenty of perspective on what was valuable.
He did suffer from insecurity. In addition to the life of economic struggle, he felt alone in his work. No other artist shared his passion for the work of crafting interlocking or intertwining figures that could repeat indefinitely. The joy of that success was not something others felt or sought out, only appreciated. His work branched out to other ideas, playing with impossible three-dimensional shapes rendered through two-dimensional pictures (the waterfall that feeds itself or the staircase that always goes up). Escher felt as if his creative work was like being in a beautiful garden that no one else visits. The experience was both comforting and lonely.
Escher's work is outstanding, in part because he thought carefully about his inspiration and worked diligently to bring those thoughts and inspirations into a concrete reality. He discusses how he established repeating patterns and had to use different colors for contrast and for distinguishing different visual elements. He explored infinity through repeating patterns that changed size, constantly halving or thirding their ways down to images only a millimeter or two across. He is both artistically great and intellectually fascinating. This book shows this happy marriage of skill and inspiration.
Highly recommended--This is probably my favorite book on art that I've read, though I haven't read that many.
Sample text, describing the difference between an illustrative artist and a graphic artist:
The restrictions finally forced upon us by graphic techniques (and those of woodcarving are probably the most rigid of all) are unknown to the illustrator. He can of course restrict himself, but he does not have to. The graphic artist, however, must (at least if he wants to keep from violating his material). He perhaps even chooses his technique because he consciously wants to set himself very definite limits, because he prefers discipline above the seduction of multiplicity and chaos. In fact, simplicity and order are, if not the principal, then certainly the most important guidelines for human beings in general. The urge toward simplification and order keeps us going and inspires us in the midst of chaos. Chaos is the beginning; simplicity is the end. The above-mentioned elements of repetition and multiplication is not in conflict with this. On the contrary, order is repetition of units; chaos is multiplicity without rhythm. [pp. 14-15, from Newsletter of the Dutch Circle of Graphic Artists and Illustrators, no. 3, June 1950]
Escher started out as an artist. He moved to Italy where he was inspired by the countryside. He struggled economically and eventually returned to The Netherlands. He took a trip to Spain where he visited the Alhambra, a Moorish palace in Granada. He was amazed at the wall decorations--abstract shapes in repeating patterns that could have extended to infinity. He wondered about using more concrete shapes, like humans or animals. As he worked at his craft, he discovered many techniques that made his work more complex and more fascinating. The art world was uninterested until the early 1950s when Escher himself was in his early 50s. Then an explosion of appreciation came, so much so that he complained that he spent more time stamping prints than crafting new works. Success never went to his head. Probably after years of poverty he had plenty of perspective on what was valuable.
He did suffer from insecurity. In addition to the life of economic struggle, he felt alone in his work. No other artist shared his passion for the work of crafting interlocking or intertwining figures that could repeat indefinitely. The joy of that success was not something others felt or sought out, only appreciated. His work branched out to other ideas, playing with impossible three-dimensional shapes rendered through two-dimensional pictures (the waterfall that feeds itself or the staircase that always goes up). Escher felt as if his creative work was like being in a beautiful garden that no one else visits. The experience was both comforting and lonely.
Escher's work is outstanding, in part because he thought carefully about his inspiration and worked diligently to bring those thoughts and inspirations into a concrete reality. He discusses how he established repeating patterns and had to use different colors for contrast and for distinguishing different visual elements. He explored infinity through repeating patterns that changed size, constantly halving or thirding their ways down to images only a millimeter or two across. He is both artistically great and intellectually fascinating. This book shows this happy marriage of skill and inspiration.
Highly recommended--This is probably my favorite book on art that I've read, though I haven't read that many.
Sample text, describing the difference between an illustrative artist and a graphic artist:
The restrictions finally forced upon us by graphic techniques (and those of woodcarving are probably the most rigid of all) are unknown to the illustrator. He can of course restrict himself, but he does not have to. The graphic artist, however, must (at least if he wants to keep from violating his material). He perhaps even chooses his technique because he consciously wants to set himself very definite limits, because he prefers discipline above the seduction of multiplicity and chaos. In fact, simplicity and order are, if not the principal, then certainly the most important guidelines for human beings in general. The urge toward simplification and order keeps us going and inspires us in the midst of chaos. Chaos is the beginning; simplicity is the end. The above-mentioned elements of repetition and multiplication is not in conflict with this. On the contrary, order is repetition of units; chaos is multiplicity without rhythm. [pp. 14-15, from Newsletter of the Dutch Circle of Graphic Artists and Illustrators, no. 3, June 1950]
July 1, 2023
I have no background on Escher (other than having been fascinated by his art, specifically the impossible architecture art). But this book was an immensely fun and enlightening read. A collection of letters, articles, lectures, and a short book written by Escher (and a letter opined by a colleague of his), it offers an intimate and consistent look into his thinking.
I came away with several insights about Escher.
1. His very precise language. Reading his lectures and book (Regular Division of a Plane) gives a deep insight into how formal and calculating his thinking was. His writing is very clearly structured, and much like his art, feels mathematical, but never dry.
2. The importance of contrast. A point made several times throughout the book by Escher is the importance of contrast, in particular for establishing a tiled plane. This emphasis on contrast is so important, that Escher advocates that paper should start as gray, and then adding black and white to create contrast, rather than starting with white (gray being the true, neutral starting point). This argument is best illustrated in Regular Division of the Plane I (pg 97).
3. The importance of nature and the real world in his otherwise seemingly very mathematical and geometric art (in particular gravitational orientation and perspective).
I also came away with a profound feeling of depth after reading the biographical note by his friend J. W. Vermeulen. The deep understanding of Escher’s psychology demonstrated in this letter was emotional to read, and served as a nice parallel to the Escher-authored content that preceded it.
Overall, I went into this book knowing very little about neither Escher nor art generally. I walked away from it with a profound appreciation for the precise thinking and principles that occurred behind the art, and would recommend this book to anyone who has appreciated any of Escher’s art.
I came away with several insights about Escher.
1. His very precise language. Reading his lectures and book (Regular Division of a Plane) gives a deep insight into how formal and calculating his thinking was. His writing is very clearly structured, and much like his art, feels mathematical, but never dry.
2. The importance of contrast. A point made several times throughout the book by Escher is the importance of contrast, in particular for establishing a tiled plane. This emphasis on contrast is so important, that Escher advocates that paper should start as gray, and then adding black and white to create contrast, rather than starting with white (gray being the true, neutral starting point). This argument is best illustrated in Regular Division of the Plane I (pg 97).
3. The importance of nature and the real world in his otherwise seemingly very mathematical and geometric art (in particular gravitational orientation and perspective).
I also came away with a profound feeling of depth after reading the biographical note by his friend J. W. Vermeulen. The deep understanding of Escher’s psychology demonstrated in this letter was emotional to read, and served as a nice parallel to the Escher-authored content that preceded it.
Overall, I went into this book knowing very little about neither Escher nor art generally. I walked away from it with a profound appreciation for the precise thinking and principles that occurred behind the art, and would recommend this book to anyone who has appreciated any of Escher’s art.
December 13, 2022
This was an interesting read to get to know Escher's work from disown point of view. I particularly liked his take on perspective applied to 2D drawings. Escher made a good exposition of the shortcomings of how perspective is usually handled, then he proposes how to make perspective so that it is closer how we perceive it. I also liked an analogy he makes on the differences on how his work is approached by mathematicians and himself. Escher does not either approach as superior to the other, but different and one can learn from the other. I agree with Escher on this point of view.
Overall a good book.
Overall a good book.
December 30, 2019
Excellent primary source. The rigorous, clear writing befits the artist-author.
I recommend reading it not before bed, as two pages could put me to sleep.
Escher has a knack for repeating the same point in different ways, a stellar didactic technique.
Refreshing to read an artist wide open about his process.
Welcomes anyone to help explore the patterned territory he reinjected into the global consciousness.
Patterns seem to be out of fashion overall nowadays. Architecture eyes them wearily.
I recommend reading it not before bed, as two pages could put me to sleep.
Escher has a knack for repeating the same point in different ways, a stellar didactic technique.
Refreshing to read an artist wide open about his process.
Welcomes anyone to help explore the patterned territory he reinjected into the global consciousness.
Patterns seem to be out of fashion overall nowadays. Architecture eyes them wearily.
August 22, 2020
I purchased this text at the Escher museum, so it has additional sentimental value to me. Regardless, it is nice to finally have access to what I believe is all Escher ever published or presented about his own work.
I have always been fascinated by Escher. I used to tack his prints on my bedroom door as a child. Reading this collection of texts has doubled my fascination with the man and his works. I especially enjoyed the Escher's lectures where he describes his techniques in reference to specific works. Quite informative and inspirational.
I have always been fascinated by Escher. I used to tack his prints on my bedroom door as a child. Reading this collection of texts has doubled my fascination with the man and his works. I especially enjoyed the Escher's lectures where he describes his techniques in reference to specific works. Quite informative and inspirational.
August 31, 2024
On the positive side, I learned some interesting things about Escher. A little about his techniques, a little about what fascinated him, a little about the arc of his life as an artist. On the negative side, his writing often put me to sleep. He had a tendency, in describing his work, to include elements that are obvious to anyone seeing the actual picture (or print, to be exact). Since his writing is very calm and measured, you have the double whammy of a description of something you can already plainly see with your own eyes in tones that are soporific.
September 11, 2019
Who better to talk about Escher's work than Escher himself? I understand his work better because I now understand him better. That enhances my enjoyment of his work.
This was a great read prior to my visiting an Escher exhibition.
Also, the book itself is beautifully produced. The prints may be small, but the details are clear.
This was a great read prior to my visiting an Escher exhibition.
Also, the book itself is beautifully produced. The prints may be small, but the details are clear.
July 14, 2018
An interesting glimpse of an enigmatic artist's perspectives on his work and the interconnections of geometry, art, symbology and illusion. It's a slim tome but well worth a quick read if you are a fan of Escher.
October 18, 2018
I really enjoyed this! What was most interesting to me was how Escher felt what he was doing was completely obvious, and seemed floored that nobody else had explored these worlds before him. In general, cool to hear him talk about his own work.
January 13, 2021
Great insights in the development of Escher as an artist and his life's passion: the regular subdivision of a plane. The collection is nicely capped with an essay from a late life friend who provides a perspective that would be missed from just reading the technical articles and lecture notes.
January 17, 2018
As an Escher fan this was a great read, from the man himself in his own words. You have to be interested in Escher though.
December 15, 2019
Interesting insights into Escher's thoughts on his work.
October 18, 2022
Superb review of Escher’s thought and graphical works.
July 22, 2025
Insightful analysis of Escher’s brilliant works, in the words of Escher himself.
February 4, 2015
A collection of Escher's writings about his work, including a series of planned lectures (never given because of his health) with slides of the works. The explanations are similar but sometimes more detailed than in The Graphic Works, and there are about 200 works shown (but since this is a normal sized book and half of each page is text, they are mostly very small and it is hard to see the detail.) The book ends with a short memoir of Escher by a friend of his later years, J. W. Vermeulen.
(Yes, I realize that I'm just describing the book and not the art, but that would mean essentially repeating the whole content of the book. I assume most people are somewhat familiar with Escher's prints -- if not, you are missing something.)
(Yes, I realize that I'm just describing the book and not the art, but that would mean essentially repeating the whole content of the book. I assume most people are somewhat familiar with Escher's prints -- if not, you are missing something.)
July 25, 2016
Illuminating! Reading his narrative on what he is depicting in individual works of art really helped me notice details that would have otherwise escaped my attention.
Also, reading about how he creates his graphics, making 2D look like 3D and making metamorphoses (from birds to fish, for example,) excited my analytical brain.
Also, reading about how he creates his graphics, making 2D look like 3D and making metamorphoses (from birds to fish, for example,) excited my analytical brain.
September 14, 2019
Really enjoyed reading his voice about his work. If you are a fan of his work I would recommend this book to you. The last section is not by him and I don't think it belongs in the book. I disliked it and would recommend skipping it.
July 7, 2007
He talks about his own work. Interesting for sure, but nothing astounding.
June 23, 2010
A bit redundant but still a fascinating look into the mind of the influential graphic artist.
November 15, 2016
Plenty of nice Escher pictures, but his essays aren't too interesting. Main thing I learned is that he knew much less maths than I would have guessed. Can't complain too much since I got this for $1.
December 21, 2016
inside the mind of a briliant man. a simple man with dreams. Escher talks about his work, his style & techniques but above all: his view of the world... and what a world he saw.....
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August 5, 2013Liked it, too bad the original dutch version is not available.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews