The Mathmagician

I was desperate to check out the M.C. Escher The Mathmagician exhibit before it closed and, of course, I put off going until the last weeks of it being at the AGA. Escher (1898-1972) was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, a stones throw from the province I was born. Like any Dutch family, mine had a print of the originally titled Hand With Reflecting Sphere hanging in a discrete hallway and this, inevitably, catalyzed my appreciation for Escher.As the Dutch, myself included, are not known for their gregariousness, especially towards one another, Escher, as a fellow countryman was to be harshly criticized. My scrutiny of Escher at the AGA exhibit, however, proved that his world renowned status as artist extraordinaire is a highly merited one. His work exudes thoughtfulness, contemplation, and complexity to a craft that was novel if not unknown for his time.

The humble-sized Escher exhibit at the AGA was sizable enough to wetten one's three- dimensional jowls as it were. For reasons unbeknownst to me, the Escher exhibit shared a space with an Acme cartoon expose. And though Bugs Bunny and Gogo Wackston the Dodo are dually important icons of the last century, it seemed odd that they would chaperon Escher here. Though momentarily entranced by a Wile E. Coyote + anvil conundrum, I somehow made it the Escher corridor. The exhibit's layout follows much of the chronology of Escher's life, travels, and artistic development. The first works depict the artist’s experimentation with the division of two dimensional surfaces. These preliminary works include Eight Heads, which is a print from a woodcut stencil(!). From the graphically-charged images of Escher's first works, the exhibit moves into the works Escher created in the 12 years he lived in Italy. These images are landscape-inspired and some have dreamlike qualities, like his infamous Castle in the Air The final section displays Escher's works that depict his interest in the world around him. Here he plays with perspective and illusions of depth so that the mathematician turns magician. The notorious Day and Night hangs here.

A more intimate look at Escher's work made me appreciate its intricacy and peculiarity. It makes me think that in his day Escher must have been quite the catch- for a dutch guy!