M C Escher
M.C.Escher (1898-1972) was a prolific Dutch draftsman who concentrated on mathematical puzzles such as tessellating figures and optical illusions. He said he was irritated by flat shapes. Escher’s drawing style is careful and exact as he attempts to convey mathematical ideas such as infinity and Euclidian solids. The overall effect is surreal. I recognize him as on the autistic spectrum.
Escher's work is copyrighted and the rights are held by The M.C. Escher Company B.V. of Baarn, Netherlands, and is guarded closely. Go to mcescher.com to find images.
Escher's work is copyrighted and the rights are held by The M.C. Escher Company B.V. of Baarn, Netherlands, and is guarded closely. Go to mcescher.com to find images.
Escher and Holbein
Escher, like Hans Holbein, was a draughtsman. Both were interested in realistic depictions, but Holbein’s style is a bit less tense. I attribute this to what I diagnose as Escher’s Asperger’s, but also to their different focus–math vs. portraiture. Holbein must have been a likable guy, as his sitters seem relaxed and genuine, while Esher’s paintings reek of tenseness. Good tense, but tense.
Drawing Hands
Drawing Hands is an image that can be found in dorm rooms from Alaska to Zanzibar. Two hands rise up out of the paper they're drawn on. They gain life by being drawn by the other hand. This endless reciprocity, this folding back in upon itself, this self-referentialness, evokes all the narcissism, self-doubt, and solipsism of adolescence. As an adolescent I was fascinated by the drawing, and it can still hold me for a bit, not the least because Escher captured the look of hands so well.
Escher Lesson
Lesson Title: Maurits Escher and Tesselation
Grade: K - 9 self-contained classroom
Key Vocabulary: Tesselation, repetition, motif
Visuals/Resources: M. C. Escher's prints, Bruno Ernst's "The Magic Mirror of M. C. Escher," the Dale Seymour books on tesselations,
Connections to Prior Knowledge: Klimt repeating motifs.
Content Objectives: 1. Identify which shapes can tesselate (triangle, quadrilateral, regular hexagon), and which can tile (any figure plus the negative space between it)
2. Copy some of Escher's tesselations, and
3. create your own tesselation.
Meaningful Activities: 1. Mini-lecture on Escher, tesselating, and tiling.
2. 15-minute stations: examples of Escher's tesselations for copying and emulating. Use scissors, tape, and paper. 3. 30-minute masterwork session: create your own tesselation in in your art journal.
Supplies: Teacher-made exemplars.
Review/Assessment: Art journal
Language Objective: Use appropriate vocabulary when sharing journal.
Grade: K - 9 self-contained classroom
Key Vocabulary: Tesselation, repetition, motif
Visuals/Resources: M. C. Escher's prints, Bruno Ernst's "The Magic Mirror of M. C. Escher," the Dale Seymour books on tesselations,
Connections to Prior Knowledge: Klimt repeating motifs.
Content Objectives: 1. Identify which shapes can tesselate (triangle, quadrilateral, regular hexagon), and which can tile (any figure plus the negative space between it)
2. Copy some of Escher's tesselations, and
3. create your own tesselation.
Meaningful Activities: 1. Mini-lecture on Escher, tesselating, and tiling.
2. 15-minute stations: examples of Escher's tesselations for copying and emulating. Use scissors, tape, and paper. 3. 30-minute masterwork session: create your own tesselation in in your art journal.
Supplies: Teacher-made exemplars.
Review/Assessment: Art journal
Language Objective: Use appropriate vocabulary when sharing journal.