Links

www.mcescher.com

The Official M.C. Escher Website by Cordon Art B.V., worldwide and exclusive representative of the works and writings of the artist. This site presents 12 sections on the life and work of M.C. Escher and detailed information on copyright issues.

http://www.nga.gov/collection/gallery/ggescher/ggescher-main1.html

National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., presents here a detailed biography of M.C. Escher and an interesting selection of 24 works, together with commentary from one of the largest M.C. Escher collections in the world.

http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/home.htm

This is comprehensive site by an author of numerous teaching aids on tessellations, Jill Britton, which offers an impressive number of links to recreation-oriented learning experiences for students of mathematics and geometry.

Books

Coxeter, H.S.M., Emmer, M., Penrose, R., & Teuber, M.L. (Eds.). (1986). M.C. Escher: Art and Science. Amsterdam/New York: North-Holland.
Contains 36 essays stemming from various disciplines. An engaging introduction by Escher's son George gives the reader an idea of the artist's motives and working methods. Handy references are located at the end of each chapter.

Ernst, B. (1976). The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher. (J.E. Brigham Trans.). New York: Ballantine Books. (Currently available from Taschen, 1994.)
The author, a long-time friend of Escher, provides extensive biographical information. Numerous sketches by the artist illustrate the mathematical and scientific ideas behind many of the works.

Ernst, B. (1986). Adventures with Impossible Figures. (Ostermeier & Jenkins Trans.). Norfolk, England: Tarquin Publications.
Originally published in 1985, this short book examines ten different types of impossible figures, many from Escher's work, in an easy-to-understand, illustrated analysis of the nature of perception.

Books

Ernst, B. (1992). The Eye Beguiled: Optical Illusions. (K. Williams Trans.). Cologne: Taschen.
The author explores the world of impossible figures and optical illusions, primarily but not exclusively in relation to Escher's own work.

Escher, M.C. (1971). The Graphic Work of M.C. Escher. (J.E. Brigham Trans.; Revised). New York: Hawthorn Books, (Currently available from Taschen, 1992.)
In this easy-to-read volume, originally published in 1959, Escher comments on his printmaking techniques and describes 76 of his prints in detail.

Escher, M.C. (1989). Escher on Escher: Exploring the Infinite. (K. Ford Trans.). New York: Harry N. Abrams.
Originally published in 1986, this small book brings together most of Escher's own writings, including the text of a lecture in which he explains his attraction to printmaking and reflects on his life.

Books

Gombrich, E.H. (1963). Meditations on a Hobby Horse, and Other Essays on the Theory of Art. London: Phaidon Press.
A collection of 14 essays in which Gombrich draws on a variety of disciplines to explore the world of art. In chapter 14, form and space in Escher's work are discussed from a mathematical and psychological perspective. Originally published as an article in the Saturday Evening Post in 1961, this essay had a considerable effect on Escher's reputation in the United States.

Gombrich, E.H. (1972). Art and Illusion: A Study in the Psychology of Pictorial Representation. (Revised). New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
In a chapter entitled "Ambiguities of the Third Dimension," originally published in 1960, Gombrich briefly compares Escher's work with that of other artists, notably Hogarth and Piranesi, in terms of form, space, and perspective.

Books

Hofstadter, D.R. (1979). Gödel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid. New York: Basic Books.
This Pulitzer Prize winning book explores what the author terms "strange loops" and "self-reference." Taking as his example Bach's music, Gödel's theorem, and Escher's prints, he reflects on human thought processes.

Locher, J.L. (Ed.), Escher, M.C., Coxeter, H.S.M., et al. (1988). The World of M.C. Escher. New York: Abradale Press.
Originally published in 1971, this updated version contains three new texts to accompany the original essays by Locher on Escher's place in the history of art and Escher's own writings on infinity. Coxeter examines some mathematical aspects of the artist's work.

Books

Locher, J.L. (Ed.), Ernst, B., Escher, M.C., et al. (1992). M.C. Escher: His Life and Complete Graphic Work. (T. Langham & P. Peter Trans.). New York: Harry N. Abrams.
An important work, originally published in 1981, that covers the entire graphic production of Escher. Many letters complement the in-depth look at the artist's life and work. Accompanied by 448 black-and-white reproductions.

Schattschneider, D. (1990). Visions of Symmetry: Notebooks, Periodic Drawings, and Related Work of M.C. Escher. New York: W.H. Freeman & Co.
This beautifully illustrated book focuses mainly on tessellations and related works. The notebooks are reproduced here, giving the reader a good understanding of how Escher worked. All to the artist's "symmetry" designs are discussed.

Articles

Gardner, M. (1966, April). "Mathematical Games: The Eerie Mathematical Art of Maurits C. Escher." Scientific American, 4, 110-121.
The principal artistic and mathematical feratures of Escher's work are highlighted in this article, which deals with structural and spatial illusion and gives extensive consideration to the sphere and polyhedron.

Gardner, M. (1977, January). "Mathematical Games." Scientific American, 110-121.
This brief article examines mathematical theories pertaining to non-periodic and periodic tiling, presenting examples of works similar to Escher's.

Schattschneider, D. (1994, November). "Escher's Metaphors." Scientific American, 66-71.
An informative introduction to Escher's images in terms of mathematical theories and perspectival illusion.

Video

Emmer, M. (Producer). (1994). The Fantastic World of M.C. Escher. (English version, distribution all over the world except USA Springer Verlag www.springer.de; in Italian, Spanish, French, Japanese: m.emmer@iol.it.)
This 50-minute video (originally a 16mm film, made in 1984) takes a detailed look at Escher's life and work and includes interviews with mathematicians who influenced him. Animated sequences illustrate geometry in impossible worlds, symmetry in the tessellations, and the laws of perspective.

Van Gelder, H. (Producer, Director). (1969). Adventures in Perception. (Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, The Hague; available through the Royal Netherlands Embassy, 350 Albert Street, Suite 2020, Ottawa K1R 1A4.)
This 20-minute video (originally a 16mm film) brings the viewer into Escher's studio as he introduces some of his creations. The scientific and mathematical inspirations behind the work are highlighted by means of animations.

Video

Document Associates. (Producer). (1968). Maurits Escher: Painter of Fantasy. ((Distributed par CinemaGuild, CinemaGuild, 130 Madison Avenue, 2nd Floor, New York, NY, 10016-7030)).
Produced in Halifax, this 20-minute video affords an intimate look at the artist on vacation with his son George.

Sanborn, J., Perillo, M., & REBO Studio & Post Perfect. (Producer). (1990). Infinite Escher. (Electronics Arts Intermix, 536 Broadway, 9th Floor, New York, NY, 10012.)
This short video takes the viewer on an imaginary voyage into Escher's marvellous world, recreating and extending some of his creations with the help of electronic music and 3-D computer imaging.

National Film Board of Canada (Producer). (1998). M.C. Escher: Sky and Water 1 / M.C. Escher : l'air et l'eau 1. (National Film Board of Canada, 3155 Côte de Liesse Road, St. Laurent, Quebec, H4N 2N4).
This short film without words of 3 min. 30 s. playfully explores and deconstructs the optical illusion within one of the Escher's most famous works.