M.C. Escher's legacy: a centennial celebration: collection of articles coming from the M.C. Escher Centennial Conference, Rome, 1998

490 Pages·2003·28.61 MB·English

by  Doris Schattschneider

M.C.Escher’s Legacy
A Centennial Celebration
·
Doris Schattschneider Michele Emmer (Editors)
M.C. Escher’s Legacy
A Centennial Celebration
Collection of articles coming from the
M.C.Escher Centennial Conference,Rome 1998
1 23
Editors:
Doris Schattschneider Michele Emmer
Moravian College University ofRome
Department ofMathematics La Sapienza
1200 Main Street 5,Piazzale Aldo Moro
Bethlehem,PA 18018-6650,USA 00139 Rome,Italy
e-mail:[email protected] e-mail:[email protected]
The first printing ofthis book appeared as hardcover edition,ISBN 3-540-42458-X.
1st edition 2003,2nd printing 2005
Library ofCongress Control Number:2005928381
All M.C.Escher’s works @ 2002 Gordon Art B.V.,Baarn,The Netherlands.
All rights reserved.
A complete list ofEscher’s works reproduced in this volume is given on pp.456–458.
ISBN-10 3-540-20100-9 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York
ISBN-13 978-3-540-20100-7 Springer Berlin Heidelberg New York
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To Valeria
Erwartung,,,
Erwartung
CelebratingEscher
DorisSchattschneider
Theyear1998sawmanycentennialcelebrationsoftheDutchgraphicartist
M.C.Escher(1898-1972). Oneofthese,aninternationalcongressheldinJune
ofthatyearinRomeandRavello,broughttogetherawidearrayofofpeoplewho
notonlyappreciateEscher’swork,butgivetestimonytohislastinglegacyinart,
science,andeducation.
Shortlybeforethecongress,areviewbyaNewYorkTimesartcritichadpro-
claimedEscher“Justanonartistintheartworld.”Ifindthe“artworld”afunny
place–itoftenseemsthatifanartist’sworkispopularwiththepublic,thenit
mustfollowthattheworkis“nonart.”The1998exhibition“M.C.Escher:ACen-
tennial Tribute” held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. drew
recordcrowds–364,000peoplevisitedtheexhibit,morethanforanyotherprint
show.Perhapsforthe“artworld,”Escher’sartisanacquiredtaste.Inretrospect,
theofficialcriticsmaycometoseeandunderstandthewonderfulqualitiesinhis
workthathavemadeitendure.C.V.S.Roosevelt,anavidadmirerandcollector
ofEscher’sworkonceremarked,“Whenanartcriticpetulantlystampshisfoot
and remarks he quite despises Escher, one is reminded of the cartoon caption:
‘Theretheygo!Imusthurryafterthem,forIamtheirleader’.”
WhatdrawspeopletoEscher’swork?Icanonlyhazardapersonalandvery
incomplete answer to that question. I believe the qualities that make Escher’s
worksoappealingarealsotheonesthatinspireandchallengeothers.Escherwas
anacuteobserver,athinker,ameticulouscraftsman,whoseprintsevokeadmira-
tionandwonderment.“Cool!”(ratherthan“Beautiful!”)isanoft-heardremark
atEscherexhibitions.
Theconstantchallengeoftheartististocreateartifice.Eschercreatedsome
highly original artifices that tease and enchant. In trying to place him in the
spectrumof20thcenturyart,hisworkdefiescategorization.Rooseveltobserved:
Regardless of what the world thought of him, Escher imperturbably
always went his own way. He reminds us of a modern alchemist inge-
niously and fanatically experimentingwithhis magicballs and mirrors,
animalsandbooks,hismagicspellsandmagicconcepts.Awonderfully
VI D.Schattschneider
obstinatefigure,nowartist,nowthinker,philosopher,andshaman,Escher
∗
insisted,“Allmyworksaregames,seriousgames.”
Escher loved to challenge our eyesand understanding by tweaking the cer-
taintiesofthe“laws”thatweexpecttobeobeyed.Byworkingintheplane,he
could confound our perception of what is two-dimensional and what is three-
dimensional.Notonlydoeshemakeuswonderatwhatpointdoesonedimension
transformintothenext,buthehasusask“whatisfigure?whatisground?”His
deviceofusinginterlockingshapes,eachshaperecognizableonitsown,yeteach
interchangeable in the role of figure or ground, is one of his trademarks. Few
artistshavebeenasfascinatedbytessellationasEscherwas.Forhim,“regular
division”wasnotanendinitself,butratheradevicetoexpresstheideaofduality
(contrastingopposites),andmetamorphosis.
Escher used geometry masterfully in his works. His early scenes of Italian
villagesclingingtosteepmountainsideswithvalleyssweepingoutbelowseem
carefully sculpted from geometric forms. His later works celebrate polyhedra,
spheres,knots,andMöbiusbands.Geometryworksmagicinhisprints–classi-
calEuclideangeometry,sphericalgeometry,projectivegeometry,transformation
geometry,hyperbolicgeometry,andself-similarityallareskillfullyemployedto
achieveintricate andsurprising visual effects.Not only washe a masterof the
craftofgraphicart,hewasalso(despitehisdenials)anoriginalresearcherinthe
realmofscienceandmathematics.
Escherhasleftusarichlegacyinhiswork.
ThisbookandCDRomcontinuethe1998celebrationofEscher’slegacy.The
section“Escher’sWorld”containsessaysthatgivedeeplypersonalreflectionson
Escher’sworkandstoriesofthosewhohaveliterallywalkedsomeofthepaths
troddenbyEscher.
It is often said that Escher belonged to no “school” of art and founded no
“movement,” and so it is assumed that there are no contemporary artists who
continue to explore and express in manners directly inspired by his work. In
the section “Escher’s Artistic Legacy,” the large number of artists who speak
hereanddisplaytheirworkshowthatassumptionisclearlyfalse.Escher’swork
plantedseedsinthemindsoftheseartists,seedsthathavebornefruitthatisinge-
niousandoriginal,someemployinghiscarefulgraphictechniques,othersusing
moremodernmedia,includingdigitalart.They,likeEscher,playwithillusion,
withperspectiveandprojections,withconstructions(bothrealandimpossible),
withmirrors,withsymmetryanddivisionoftheplane,andwithmetamorphosis.
They,too,usegeometrymasterfully,inspiredbyEscher,yetareguidedbyideas
thatarewhollytheirown.
Scientists and educators have drawn inspiration from Escher—his works
have provided visual metaphors for their theories, raised new questions about
∗
From the catalog of the exhibition “A Mathematician Views Escher”, Moravian
College,April1987.
CelebratingEscher VII
their assumptions, suggested new problems to investigate, and provided en-
joyable explorations for students of all ages. The section “Escher’s Scientific
and Educational Legacy” contains a variety of essays by scientists (of many
disciplines) and educators, a testimony to the enduring influence of Escher’s
work.
TheCDRomisanextensionofthebook.Itcontainscolorversionsofmany
of the art works that are shown in the book in black and white, as well as
additionalworkbytheartists.Itgivesvignettesoftheconferenceandthebreath-
takingbeautyoftheRavellosetting.Italsoaffordsamediumbeyondprint:there
areanimations,shortvideos,andinteractivepuzzles.
Editingthisbookhasbeenapleasurablechallenge.Theauthorscomefrom
elevendifferentcountries,withmanylanguagesandwithamyriadofdifferent
computerprogramsthatencodewordandpicture.YetIhavereceivedwonderful
cooperation from all, and thanks to email, zip disks, and CD Roms, they were
able to quickly respond to the many requests to put this all together. I want to
thankMoravianCollegeforitssupportofmyeditorialwork,makingavailable
tomethenecessarytechnologyandtechnologicalhelp.MicheleEmmerandIare
gratefulfortheencouragementandcooperationofSpringer-Verlag,Heidelberg,
inmakingthisbookandCDRomareality.
Bethlehem,August2001
Escher,inRome,Again
MicheleEmmer
Why a conference and an exhibition dedicated to the works of Mau-
rits Cornelis Escher? Escher had a very strange destiny. His works are
probably among the best known in the world. But perhaps his great
successandthedispersionofhisworkallovertheworldarereasonswhy
his work as a graphic artist is not investigated seriously and not well-
considered by historians of art. This is one of the reasons why the idea
oforganizingaconferenceandanexhibitionofEscher’sworkwastaken
up by aMathematics Department, the Mathematics Department of the
UniversityofRome“LaSapienza.”
Among the most popular ideas of our time are multimedia presenta-
tionsandinterdisciplinarity,includingtherelationshipsbetweenartand
science. Escher, for a great part of his artistic life, was an “attractor”
andproducedconnectionsamongmathematicians,physicists,crystallo-
graphers,andexpertsinvisualperception.Itiswellknownthathisfirst
important exhibition was mounted during the International Congress of
MathematiciansinAmsterdamin1954.
Sohereisaconferencedesignedformanytodiscusssymmetry,visual
perception,computergraphics,architecture,historyofart,mathematics,
andpsychology,alwayshavingEscherasastartingpoint.Thefactthatso
manypeoplefromdifferentcountriesandfromdifferentdisciplineswish
toparticipateinthisconferenceisthemainreasonforitsorganization.
TheaboveparagraphsarenotmyopeningtotheEscherCentennialcongress
heldinRomein1998,butrathertheyaretakenfromtheintroductionIwrotefor
thecatalogoftheexhibitionofEscher’sworkheldattheDutchInstituteinRome
inMarch1985. Thatexhibition tookplaceduringthe lastinternational confer-
ence on Escher, with lectures in the same “Aula Magna” at the University of
Rome“LaSapienza”14yearsago.ThetitleofthatconferencewasM.C.Escher:
ArtandScience[1].The6000copiesofthecatalogoftheexhibition[2]soldout
inthreeweeks.
Icanusethesamewordstowritethisintroductiontotheproceedingsofthe
1998congressbecausenowthefascinationwiththeworkofEscherisperhaps
evengreaterthan14yearsago,eventhoughmuchoftheworldhascompletely
changed.In1985therewastheSovietUnionandthewallinBerlin.Iwasvery
sorrythatprofessorVladimirKoptsikfromMoscowStateUniversity,whowas
an invited speaker for the 1998 congress, at the last moment was not able to
attend.Irememberverywell(andperhapsotherswhowereatthepreviouscon-
ferencewillalsoremember),thatduringtheconferencein1985theRedBrigades
killed a professor from our university, professor Tarantelli. The world is really
differentnow,butinterestinEscherisstillaliveandunchanged.
X M.Emmer
This special congress to celebrate the centennial of Escher’s birth was also
organized in Rome This is fitting since Escher was in Italy and lived in Rome
formanyyears;forthesamereasonasessionofthecongresswasorganizedin
Ravello,ontheAmalficoast.Andalast,butnotleastreason:myfamilyname
EmmerisoriginallyDutchandverysimilarto“Escher.”
The1998congressdifferedfromthe1985oneinseveralrespects.Therewere
manynewfaces,includingseveralcontemporaryartists,aswellassomefamiliar
participants.Someparticipantsatthepreviousconferencewerenotabletoattend
thisone,inparticular,myco-editorsofthe1985Proceedings:H.S.M.(Donald)
Coxeter,MarianneTeuber,andSirRogerPenrose[1].Anotherdifferenceisthat
in 1985, Johannes Offerhaus, the energetic and enthusiastic director the Dutch
Institute,arrangedfortheEscherexhibitiontobeheldthereandTheQueenof
Hollandcametoopentheexhibition.Unfortunately,Offerhausdiedafewyears
ago. This time the Dutch Embassy and the Dutch Institute in Rome had no in-
terest in supporting an exhibition. (Ironically, the cultural attache´ of the Dutch
Embassy,answeringmyletterof1996askingiftherewouldbeinterestinspon-
soringanewexhibition,answeredthatanexhibitionwasheldin1985–ofcourse
hedidnotknowIwastheorganizer.)
This time the M.C.Escher Foundation gave us wonderful support for the
art exhibitions in Rome and in Ravello. I want to thank them for their encour-
agementandcooperationineveryaspectofthecongress,andtheirenthusiastic
attendance at the sessions. In 1998 we had a private three-day exhibition at
theMuseoLaboratoriodiArteContemporaneaoftheUniversityofRome“La
Sapienza,”heldduringthecongress.Here,alongwithmanyofEscher’sprints,
theworkofcontemporaryartistsfrommanycountrieswasshown,inanHomage
to Escher [3]. (The exhibit was held despite many difficulties of importing the
worksofartfortheshow,thankstotherulesoftheItalianandotherEuropean
Customs). The exhibit in Ravello featured almost exclusively the little-known
printsofEscher’sbelovedItalianscenes.Itsopeningreceptionwasaspecialpart
ofthecongress sessioninRavello,andwasopentothepublic for anextended
period.Twodifferentcatalogswereprinted;oneforeachexhibitioninRomeand
inRavello[4].
I want to thank many people who helped with the hundreds of details of
organizationofthiscongress:
FirstofallDorisSchattschneider.Shefirstpresentedtheresultsofherstudy
onthesymmetrynotebooksofEscheratthepreviouscongress;afewyearslater
shepublished thebook VisionsofSymmetry[5].Without herhandling theper-
sonalcontactswithallthespeakers,exhibitors, andparticipants,itwouldhave
beenimpossibletoorganizethecongress.
My colleagues Valentina Barucci and Stefania Gabelli for organizing the
Rome exhibition and its catalog. Alessandra Seghini, the director of the com-
putersciencelabofmydepartment,AlessandroFranchithecomputertechnician,
and Angelo Bardelloni of our library: they solved many seemingly impossible
technical problems. The electricians of the Aula Magna, the private cops, the
staffofLatourcatering.Micheledell’Aquilaforthecongresswebsite,Matteo
Escher,inRome,Again XI
Emmer for the congress logo, animated on the web site, and shown at the be-
ginningofthispreface(yes,heismysonandanarchitect).MariaPiaCavaliere
andOriettaPedemonteoftheUniversityofGenova,LauraTedeschiniLalli,of
theUniversityofRomeIII,whohelpedwithlocalarrangementsandregistration.
Mr.Bruno,fortheApplecomputersandthetechnicalhelp.
ThehelpfulstaffoftheMuseoLaboratoriodiArteContemporanea:Maurizio
Calvesi, the director, Francesca Lamanna, Maurizio Pierfranceschi, who was
always at the artists’ disposal; Linda Riti, Bruno di Martino for the video and
filmpresentations.
The students and graduate students who performed many tasks: Marta
Angelilli,MassimilianoAmoroso,DanielaBassi,AlessiaSao,MonicaAmore,
Maria Silvia Cosma, Maria Silvia De Angelis, Andrea di Marco, Daniele
Mancini.
Mr.PedrocchiofthetravelagencyTouringViaggi.Andforalllocalarrange-
mentsinRavello:EugeniaApicellaandallthestaffoftheCentroUniversitario
EuropeoperiBeniCulturali.FrancescoFortunato,AntonioGisolfioftheUni-
versityofSalerno,theorganizationoftheconcert,thepublicadministrationof
theCityHallofRavelloandoftheProvincefortheirhelp.Inparticularforthe
beautifulweatherandthesea.AparticularthankyoutotheMayorofthetown
SecondoAmalfitanoandtotheSoprintendentedeiBeniAmbientali,Artisticie
StoricidiSalernoeAvellinoRuggeroMartines.
A very, very special thank you to Mark and Wim F.Veldhuysen, George
Escher,andalltheEscherfamilyfortheirunflaggingenthusiasmandsupport.
The congress received financial support from the University of Rome “La
Sapienza,” the Dipartimento di Matematica “G.Castelnuovo,” the National
Council of Research C.N.R., the M.C.Escher Foundation, and Michele
Emmer.
IntheproceedingsofthepreviousconferenceIwrote,“Iwouldliketothank
mysonMatteoandmywifeValeria,andinparticularmysonTommaso.With-
outtheircontinuingencouragement(andmyfriendsknowhowtruethisis)the
congresswouldneverhavetakenplace.”IcannowrevealthatTommasowasbat-
tlingleukemiaduringtheconferencein1985;thankfully,herecoveredandheis
nowamedicaldoctor.ItwasValeriawhowassufferingfromcancerduringthe
1998conference.ShediedOctober8,1998.Thisiswhythisvolumeisdedicated
toher.ImustthankMatteo,Tommaso,andMartavery,verymuch.
Rome,February1999
References
[1] H.S.M.Coxeter, M.Emmer, R.Penrose, M.Teuber, eds., M.C.Escher: Art and
Science,North-Holland,Amsterdam,1986;IVedition.
[2] M.Emmer,C.vanVlaanderen,eds.,M.C.Escher,catalogoftheexhibition,Roma,
TheDutchInstitute,1985.