MC Escher: Ambiguous Or Phenominal?

8 Pages 1975 Words

be better suited to his skills. De Mesquita taught the eager Escher all he knew of woodcut printing techniques, gave him space to experiment, and encouraged him to experiment widely in order to develop his skills. (18)
Escher often complained about his lack of natural drawing ability and as a result most of his pieces took a long time to complete, and required numerous attempts before he was completely happy. In his youth he concentrated on landscapes, many of which were drawn from unusual perspectives. He also made numerous sketches of plants and even insects, all of which regularly appear in his later work.
In June 1922, Escher visited Spain. While making the voyage, his interest in regular division was briefly revitalized. He traveled widely and visited many palaces and was inspired by a great number of both buildings and landscapes. One building that was to have an immense influence on his life was the Alhambra Palace in Grenada. It was here that Escher developed an interest in the work of Moorish artists. The beauty of the 14th century Moorish palace and in particular the decorative majolica tilings overwhelmed Escher. (Acorn Media) He copied the motifs of the tiles in his notebook and used them later in his prints. It was these patterns that tempted him to experiment with tessellations and dividing the plane. As a result of this inspiration, Escher preferred recognizable figures such as birds, bees, fish, etc., to the geometric patterns found in the tiles. He commented:
This is the richest source of inspiration that I have ever struck; nor has it yet dried up. The symmetry...