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Art and Perception
"What is this so-called reality; what is this
theory but a beautiful though totally human fantasy?
(Escher in Locher, 1992, p. 68)
A large part of Escher's popularity is due to his depictions of impossible
worlds. His prints on this theme are based on his research into perspective.
The system making it possible to represent depth on a flat surface, such as
a sheet of paper, was developed during the Renaissance, in the fifteenth century.
One important law of perspective dictates that all receding parallel lines
are to be represented on the plane as if they passed through a single point,
the vanishing point.
Art and Perception
One can also construct a representational image using two or three vanishing points, depending on the type of object depicted and the desired effect. Many of Escher's prints attest to his mastery of the so-called classical laws of perspective. He also explored other ways of representing objects in space, as in Hand with Reflecting Sphere, where he depicted a sphere that reflects the entire space of the room except the area that lies directly behind the globe.
Art and Perception
"Relativity": A Plausible Representation of Weightlessness
In the lithograph Relativity, Escher uses three vanishing points, all located
outside the frame. Two are on the horizon, to the left and right of the frame,
slightly below it; the third is at the zenith, above the frame. Each of these
vanishing points governs a different gravity, an independent weight. The vanishing
point at the zenith, which indicates the axis of gravity, seems to change
depending on which way the print is turned. The work can therefore be turned
and correctly interpreted in three ways - provided we are in a weightless
world!
Art and Perception
"In my opinion an impossible situation only really stands out when the impossibility
is not immediately obvious. If you want to draw attention to something impossible,
you must try to deceive first yourself and then your audience, by presenting
your work in such a way that the impossible element is veiled and a superficial
observer would not even notice it. There should be a certain mysteriousness
that does not immediately hit the eye."
(Escher in Locher, 1992, p. 147)
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