Artwork

'Drawing Hands'

Escher created his remarkable lithograph ‘Drawing Hands’ in 1948, after returning to Holland. The picture is a truly unique display of a three-dimensional geometric art work of incredible precision and skill. 

One of the distinctive characteristics of Escher's graphic style is working primarily in black and white and the various shadings in between.

'Eye'

Escher created 'Eye' in 1946. The medium is mezzotint and drypoint. 'Eye' uses the technique of globular reflection; Drawing a sketch from looking at it in a reflection. In this case, his own eye was drawn from its reflection in a concave shaving glass.

Escher felt it was “necessary and logical to convey somebody, an observer reflected in the convex mirror of the eye” and so he decided to draw a skull because “we are all confronted with death whether we like it or not”.

At this point in his life, Escher was starting to age. Looking into his shaving glass one day, he might have felt like death was staring him in the face. He took this sign of aging literally, and decided to portray the symbol of death (the skull) in his pupil, in this artwork.

1. The skull creates the phenomena of death and the thoughts that    were in Escher's mind as he looked at his reflection in the shaving glass.
2. The wrinkles and creases above and below the eye convey the aging of Escher, hence the idea of confronting the concept of death in this artwork.
3. The reflection of light on glass is seen in the top left area of his eye, which confirms that he used a reflection to create this artwork.

Interaction

Artist

Maurits Cornelis Escher 

Escher was born in 1898 and died in 1972. He was one of the world's most famous graphic artists. 

As a child he was gifted at drawing but always had very poor grades. Eventually he went on to study the decorative arts and finally left school in 1922. After school he spent time in Italy, Switzerland, Belgium and the Netherlands. He began to focus on his art, in particular, art of impossible situations in 1937. His first piece was Still Life and Street. From then until the end of his life he continued working with lithographs and woodcuts, always improving his skill and experimenting with perspective.

In the 1930s mathematics began to affect his work. He became fascinated with order and symmetry and would often have this enter into his work, often combining it with his love of impossible situations.

Escher worked as a graphic artist for decades with his innovative style being recognized by only a small inner circle of people, mostly other artists. He was discovered relatively late in his life. 1952 was his breakthrough year and he was already fifty three years old.

“Only those who attempt the absurd will achieve the impossible. I think it's in my basement... let me go upstairs and check.” – M.C. Escher