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M.C. Escher. The Graphic Work
£11.40
From impossible staircases to tesselated birds, Dutch artist M.C. Escher (1898–1972) crafted a unique graphic language of patterns, puzzles, and mathematics. Dense, complex, and structured by intricate principles, his work is at the same time decorative and playful, toying constantly with optic illusions and the limitations of sensory perception. For mathematicians and scientists, Escher is a mastermind. For hippies, he was the pioneer of psychedelic art.
Born in Leeuwarden, in the Netherlands in 1898, Escher’s early works focused on nature and landscapes, with regular exhibitions in Holland, and some international recognition. It was on a trip to the Alhambra Palace in Spain in the 1920s, however, that Escher found his niche. Sketching the patterns of the palace’s Moorish architecture, Escher became captivated by the codependency of forms within and next to each other.
Working mainly with lithographs and woodcuts, Escher went on to explore the relationships among shapes, figures, and space with a near-obsessive delight. He reveled in quirky vantage points, multiple perspectives, the transition from paper flatness to illusory volume, and intricate mathematical puzzles such as the Möbius strip, a seemingly infinite loop which twists and recoils on itself in a contortion of apparent physical impossibility.
This introductory book from TASCHEN Basic Art 2.0 taps into Escher’s brilliant mind with key works from his restless investigation of image and perception. Along the way, you’ll find fish morphing into birds, lizards crawling off the page, masterful reflections, infinite mazes, and some of the most mind-bending images of 20th-century art.
About the series
Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features:
a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
a concise biography
approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions
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Additional information
| Publisher | TASCHEN, Illustrated edition (17 Mar. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 96 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 383652984X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-3836529846 |
| Dimensions | 20.96 x 1.27 x 26.67 cm |
by Willy Guess
This made a great gift.
by catspaw
The cover picture caused me no end of bother. I tried holding my pencils like that and ended up with a sprained wrist and the cat’s refusing to come out of the coal hole. Mind you, I couldn’t draw before, now I’ve no hope having plaited my arm. Though I did like the waterwheel design, but my house if full of water and it’s flooding out the windows, with no way of stopping it. United Utilities are installing a fleet of water meters to charge me per cubic mile for the water I’m giving them. But… the cat’s come out of the cola hole now, and is sat on the budgie.
by Hamish Stevenson
Purchased it for my son. I have read more if it than him. Great book.
by Alex (no relation)
Arrived with one corner slightly crushed (presumably in transit), but much better content than expected, so 5 stars anyway. There are 76 full page works, many in colour (those in B&W presumably match the originals), and a not-too-long intro / commentary by Escher, whose work was a “thing” some 50 years ago.
by H. Pettifer
This is a lovely book with large images of some of Escher’s works. There is some text/info as well, but I particularly wanted a book where the pictures are large enough to study and this fits the bill.
by Raumschiff
I have been fond of MC Escher art since I was a little kid and saw the film Labyrinth. Whilst a lot of this book is about divisions of plains and patterns – not really my bag – the prints are very good quality. I’m in it for images like House of Stairs and Belvedere, that you can lose yourself in the details of for a few minutes.
by L.M.
I love this book. I purchased this to replace one I had, only this is hardback. Im really pleased. Illustrations galore! Shows his use of ‘breaking the rules of perspective’ and perfect for Escher fans! Includes Metamorphosis and Waterfall !
by Charlie here
As advertised