THE ESCHERS
M.C. (Maurits Cornelis) Escher was a Dutch artist known for his mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. This left-handed genius created masterpieces of illusion. In ​his graphic art, he portrayed mathematical relationships among shapes, figures and space. Additionally, he explored interlocking figures using black and white to enhance different dimensions, and integrated into his prints were mirror images of cones, spheres, cubes, rings and spirals.
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He often drew insects, reptiles, and parts of the human anatomy, particularly the hands and eyes. His special way of thinking and his rich graphic work has had a continuous influence in science and art, as well as being an influence in popular culture.
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REPTILES
Lithograph​. (1943)
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Like many of Escher's works, this image was intended to depict a paradoxical and slightly humorous concept with no real philosophical meaning. There were, however, many popular misconceptions about the image’s meaning. The most common myth revolves around a small book on the desk with the letters JOB printed on it. Many people believed it to be the biblical Book of Job, when in fact it was a book of JOB brand cigarette papers.
WATERFALL​
Lithograph​. (1961)
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The image depicts small city with an elevated aqueduct and waterwheel as the main feature. The aqueduct begins at the waterwheel and flows behind it. The walls of the aqueduct step downward, suggesting that it slopes downhill. The aqueduct turns sharply three times. The viewer looks down at the scene diagonally, which means that from the viewer's perspective the aqueduct appears to be slanted upward.
The viewer is also looking across the scene diagonally from the lower right, which means that from the viewer's perspective the two left-hand turns are directly in line with each other, while the waterwheel, the forward turn and the end of the aqueduct are all in line.
The second left-hand turn is supported by pillars from the first, while the other two corners are supported by a tower of pillars that begins at the waterwheel.
The water falls off the edge of the aqueduct and over the waterwheel in an infinite cycle. In his notes on the picture, Escher points out that some water must be periodically added to this apparent perpetual motion machine to compensate for evaporation.
The two support towers continue above the aqueduct and are topped by two compound polyhedra. The one on the left is a compound of three cubes. The one on the right is a stellation of a rhombic dodecahedron (or a compound of three non-regular octahedra) and is known as Escher's solid.
Below the mill is a garden of bizarre, giant plants. This is actually a magnified view of a cluster of moss and lichen which Escher drew in ink as a study in 1942.
This drawing seemingly violates the Principle of Conservation of Total Energy of physics due to the fact that the water gains kinetic energy, but does not lose any gravitational potential energy.
RELATIVITY
Lithograph. (1953)
In Relativity, there are three sources of gravity, each being orthogonal to the two others. Each inhabitant lives in one of the gravity wells, where normal physical laws apply. The apparent confusion of the lithograph print comes from the fact that the three gravity sources are depicted in the same space.
The structure has six stairways, and each stairway can be used by people who belong to two different gravity sources. This creates interesting phenomena. In some stairways, inhabitants are depicted as climbing the stairways upside-down, but based on their own gravity source, they are climbing normally.
Another interesting fact is that each of the three parks belongs to one of the gravity wells. All but one of the doors seem to lead to basements below the parks.
This is one of Escher’s most popular works and can be appreciated both artistically and scientifically. Interrogations about perspective and the representation of three-dimensional images in a two-dimensional picture are at the core of Escher's work, and Relativity represents one of his greatest achievements in this domain.
OTHER GRAPHICS
THE STREETS OF NEW YORK
ON LOAN FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) IN NEW YORK.
SPEED DEMON
ON LOAN FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) IN NEW YORK.
GOT 'EM AGAIN
ON LOAN FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) IN NEW YORK.
IN PERIL
ON LOAN FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) IN NEW YORK.
JERK COMMANDER
ON LOAN FROM THE MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) IN NEW YORK.
We have no idea who the artists are for these pieces. They were tucked away in the box that came from MoMA, so we did our best identifying potential titles.
SEE OTHER THINGS
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ON LOAN FROM THE MAYOR'S PRIVATE COLLECTION
Spray Paint on Concrete​. (2012)
Graffiti art is popular in urban areas. The kerning this unknown artist incorporates in the piece is a testament to the dedication to detail many graffiti artists strive for.
THE HERGES
Hergé was the pen name for Belgian comic book writer and artist, Georges Prosper Remi. Hergé was most known for creating the cartoon "The Adventures of Tintin." The Adventures of Tintin is is one of the most popular European comics of the 20th century with translations published in more than 50 languages. There are 23 completed comic books in The Adventures of Tintin series, which he wrote and illustrated from 1929 until his death in 1983.
His work has been praised for its apparent playfulness, and he distinguished himself though his distinct line drawing style. Tintin is one of the most recognizable figures in Pop culture today.
​ON LOAN FROM THE MAYOR OF MOOSEVILLE'S PRIVATE COLLECTION
​ON LOAN FROM THE MAYOR OF MOOSEVILLE'S PRIVATE COLLECTION
​ON LOAN FROM THE MAYOR OF MOOSEVILLE'S PRIVATE COLLECTION
​ON LOAN FROM THE MAYOR OF MOOSEVILLE'S PRIVATE COLLECTION
​ON LOAN FROM THE MAYOR OF MOOSEVILLE'S PRIVATE COLLECTION