Maurits Cornelis Escher was born on June 17, 1898 in Leeuwarden, Netherlands.
At a young age, Escher was encouraged by his father to learn carpentry
and other craft skills. Though he was not a very good student in general,
his artistic talent was apparent early in his schooling. He was encouraged
by his family and friends to pursue this interest in a regular career,
namely architecture. Once at the School for Architecture and Decorative
Arts, however, Escher realized that his true passion lay in the graphic
arts. He spent the next two years at art school, where he mastered graphic
and woodcutting techniques. Upon completion of his schooling, he traveled
extensively through Southern France, Spain and Italy. During these travels,
he garnered numerous inspirations for his work.
Throughout his career as an artist, Escher was fascinated by the art of
structure. Though his early work tended toward realistic portrayals of
the landscape and architecture observed during his travels, it reflected
a greater fascination for structural constructs than for the landscape
itself. Escher visited the Alhambra in Granada several times, as he was
captivated by the Moorish ornamentations that filled the entire space on
the walls. The inspiration there lay the foundation for his work after
1937, for which he is most famous. These works involve repeated patterns
and regular divisions of the plane, impossible constructions, and infinite
space. His work from then until his death in 1972 was driven by a unique
understanding of mathematical concepts.
Through his wondrous creations, Escher was able to lay a symbolic bridge between the realms of art and science.
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