Print Gallery, 1956. M.C. Escher. (1898-1972) Lithograph, 31.9 x 31.9 cm. Herakleidon Museum, Athens, Greece. All M.C. Escher works (c) The M.C. Escher Company B.V. – Baarn – the NETHERLANDS
Where have you seen the most famous M. C. Escher prints? Many, such as Relativity and Reptiles, show up on math and science textbooks and are used in school lectures. However, most are surprised to know that Escher had no formal training in mathematics.
Escher only received a high school education in mathematics and after graduating he enrolled in architecture school. A week into his education, one of his teachers who happened to be the successful graphic artist Jessurun de Mesquita was impressed by a few of Escher’s lithocuts. He asked Escher, “Wouldn’t you like to be a graphic artist instead of an architect?” Considering that Escher did not particularly like architecture as a career choice, he agreed to study graphic design and never took another math course. (more…)
New Britain Museum of American Art 