What was m.c escher famous for

The squares of the fields metamorphize into the birds which then tesselate with each other across the top of the image utilizing the spaces between animals to enable the transition. This complex composition showcases the merging of earth and sky, night and day and different living creatures into one another.

The regular chequerboard nature of the fields can be seen as a reference to 17 th century Dutch art in which dramatic perspective and black and white tiled floors were prominent features The birds form part of a wider canon of Escher's work in which animals are either tessellated across the whole image Escher called this 'regular division of the plane' or one animal becomes another through the use of interlocking designs and negative space.

These works were originally motivated by Escher's second visit to the Alhambra, a building which he considered to be "the richest source of inspiration that I have ever tapped". He initially created work utilizing the abstract geometrical elements he saw there, but gradually replaced these with stylized figures of animals, as seen here. The work can be viewed from two perspectives and the eye naturally moves between the two. The bird's eye view, looking down on the landscape below, contrasts with the direct perspective where the birds are viewed straight on.

The two perspectives are linked by the diagonal lines on the fields and on the birds' wings and these give a sense of movement upwards and in the direction of travel of the birds, removing the distinction between foreground and background. Portraying an interior space consisting of multiple staircases leading in many directions and opening up to different, light-filled exterior spaces, Relativity is part of Escher's 'impossible constructions' series. Of these works Escher stated, "I can't keep from fooling around with irrefutable certainties" and to 'make fun of gravity'.

The piece can be viewed from numerous perspectives and from each of these the localized architectural environment makes sense. By allowing the orientation of the viewer to shift depending on which viewpoint is followed, the scenes are open to a continuous cycle of interpretation. The confusing nature of the composition is further enhanced by the strong contrasts of light and dark and the inclusion of faceless mannequin-like figures who continue to carry out normal tasks in the abnormal setting around them.

These figures may be interpreted, from a philosophical standpoint, as co-inhabiting different planes of existence and the piece calls into questions the nature of reality. Ascending and Descending is one of Escher's most recognizable pieces and another example from his 'impossible constructions' series. The work draws inspiration from projective and non-Euclidean geometries and paradoxical perspectives to create a physical architectural impossibility that explores the very logic of space itself.

As in Relativity , stairs are the focus and the never-ending staircase at the top of the image was conceived by Roger Penrose. Penrose was a mathematician who invented the Penrose triangle, an impossible object, after seeing Escher's work. Along with his father, Lionel Penrose, they designed a staircase based on the triangle which simultaneously looped up and down.

This was sent to Escher who created Ascending and Descending as a response. The piece can be viewed as a comment on existence, the stairs which lead nowhere becoming a metaphor for the futility of life.

This is further emphasized by two figures who are not on the eternal staircase, one looks up, with detachment, from a side balcony whilst the other sits unhappily on a lower flight of stairs. Escher commented on these figures calling them "recalcitrant individuals [who] refuse, for the time being, to take part in the exercise of treading the stairs.

They have no use for it at all, but no doubt, sooner or later they will be brought to see the error of their non-conformity". The clothing of the figures further enhances the mystery of the work, giving it a cult-like feel with the hoods echoing those of monks. The short-belted tunics are Medieval in style and can be seen as a reference to the work of Hieronymus Bosch which Escher consciously alluded to in other pieces such as Belvedere Snakes was created three years before Escher's death when he was already suffering from poor health, and it is the last print he made.

The work has a rotational symmetry of order three, meaning that the same image has been replicated three times around the circle to build the finished piece. It was also created from three different printing blocks, one for each color which were over-printed to generate the subtle shading and multi-colored appearance. In the image snakes writhe in and around a circle composed of interlocking rings that seem to both extend outwards and simultaneously shrink infinitely inwards. The rings diminish again, as they reach the edge of the circle, while the snakes face outwards, suggesting that something exists beyond the central image.

The design is incredibly intricate and required an immense amount of draftsmanship and skill to complete the very precise nature of the woodcut.

Escher increasingly interrogated the idea of infinity in his work and other examples include Smaller and Smaller and his Circle Limit series. These express a growing concern with the dimensionality of space, in Escher's words, an exploration of "the language of matter, space and the universe". This interest in the infinite may be viewed in terms of his increasingly apparent mortality and this is enhanced by the inclusion of the snakes in the work, which in mythology can swallow their tail to regenerate from their own essence.

Content compiled and written by Sarah Frances Dias. Edited and revised, with Summary and Accomplishments added by Kate Stephenson. The Art Story. They also became a reference point for cartoonists. At the same time, Escher was capable of concocting potent images with near-universal appeal — something, surely, to which most fine artists would aspire. If you would like to comment on this story or anything else you have seen on BBC Culture, head over to our Facebook page or message us on Twitter.

State of the Art Art history. MC Escher: An enigma behind an illusion. Share using Email. Image credit: The M. By Alastair Sooke 24th June But behind the familiar picture is a mysterious figure. Alastair Sooke goes in search of MC Escher. Escher traveled to the Mediterranean in the early s and was profoundly influenced by the wonders of the Moor-designed Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.

He met Jetta Umiker in ; they married the following year, going on to have three children. Establishing a home in Rome with his family, Escher worked on engravings and prints that captured natural landscapes and architecture, startlingly playing with perspective, orientation and shadow. He also created more human-oriented work, including a rendering of his wife and several self-portraits, such as 's "Hand With Reflecting Sphere.

With the rise of fascism in Italy, the Eschers relocated to Switzerland in , though they soon took a maritime journey to Spain, returning to Alhambra Palace and visiting La Mezquita "Mosque" of Cordoba as well. Escher was inspired by the structures' complex designs, and further focused his work on tessellation and repeating patterns, often featuring overlapping, interlocked images morphing into something else, as seen in his "Metamorphosis" and "Development" series.

The Eschers had moved to Belgium in , but with the invasion of Nazi forces, left for Holland in He continued to create eye-opening dreamscape work such as "Up and Down" , "Drawing Hands" , "Gravity" , "Relativity" , "Print Gallery" and "Ascending and Descending" In addition to eventually becoming a lauded international artist with mounted exhibitions, Escher was embraced by mathematicians and scientists, as much of his heavily researched, precise output embodied or explored concepts around geometry, logic, space and infinity.

Escher died on March 27, , in Laren, Netherlands, leaving a legacy of more than 2, pieces. His work has continued to be exhibited, and scholars have continued to explore the mathematical implications of his art into the 21st century.