M.C Escher

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The Man, The Genius, The Mathematician, The Immortal: M.C. Escher

"In my prints I try to show that we live in a beautiful and orderly world and not in a chaos without norms... I cannot help mocking our unwavering certainties... to confuse two and three dimensions, the plane and space or to poke fun at gravity (Locher 124)." These words were spoken by an artisan who overcame the struggles of a misdirected youth. This very same artisan became a legend. Maurtis Cornelis Escher, a self-taught mathematical genius, created widely recognized graphic masterpieces. Escher had the rare, yet esteemed privilege of experiencing fame prior to death due to his structured, yet unethical style.

Escher's early education, or lack thereof, contributed to his later fame as an artist. During elementary and secondary school in Holland, Escher found it quite difficult to relate to "proper" education (MCEscher.com). Numbers and letters were abstract ideas that he could not decipher when seen on paper (MCEscher.com).

Eventually he failed all school subjects, with the exception of drawing. Escher learned to make linocuts from his secondary art teacher (Ernst 18). This positive experience helped to spark his interest in printing, but he unfortunately failed his final exam and he never graduated (Schattschneider 17).

In hopes of having his son obtain a "proper" education, Escher's father sent him to a religious school in 1913. It was here where he further explored the printing process (Locher 15). With his lifelong friend Bas Kist, Escher dabbled in linoleum cuts (15). From these cuts came one of Escher's oldest surviving works--a portrait of his father (15). At the age of nineteen, Escher and Kist visited the printing studio of artist Gert

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Stegeman. Many of Escher's early works were printed using Stegeman's press (users.erols.com).

In 1918 Escher's father and mother...