Step into the World of M.C. Escher

About this event

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972), popularly referred to as M.C. Escher, is known for what he called his "mental images," which connect to mathematics and various branches of science. During his 50-year career, Escher's works evolved from realistic observations of the world to inventions of his imagination that explored the relationships between art and science, order and disorder, and logic and irrationality. He created complex orchestrations of multidimensional alternate realities. Famously, the patterned, colorful tiles from Moorish architecture he saw on formative trips to Spain were transformed from geometrical symmetries to identifiable human figures and creatures such as birds, fish, and reptiles. Escher's symmetries developed into a never-ending tessellating cycle, Metamorphosis III (1938-39), which was his largest print at more than 22 feet long, made with 31 woodblocks. A meticulous printmaker, Escher printed all his woodcuts by hand-with a spoon. Dena M. Woodall, curator of prints and drawings at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, explores how Escher's imagery transformed over time, examining his lesser-known early period in Italy and his later, more famous tessellations, metamorphoses, impossible buildings, and space that somehow was bent. Woodall also discusses a virtual presentation of the museum's 2022 exhibition "Virtual Realities: The Art of M.C. Escher from the Michael S. Sachs Collection," featuring over 400 objects. General Information View Common FAQs and Policies about our Online Programs on Zoom .