Metamorphosis I, II, III

These words were penned by Escher in June 1967 in a letter to his eldest son George in Canada. After a protracted period of uncertainty, he was finally granted the assignment in early 1968. During the interim period, he had already been experimenting with various motifs. The work of Escher can be broadly divided into two themes: eternity and perpetuity. In no works did he demonstrate this more clearly than in his fantastic Metamorphosis II and Metamorphosis III.

A metamorphosis is a change in appearance. The most famous example is a caterpillar that transforms into a butterfly. In 1937, Escher created his first Metamorphosis. In it, he depicts the transition of the small town of Atrani via geometrically rigid patterns into a freestanding figure. This woodcut is only a "try-out", compared to how Escher subsequently fleshed out the theme.

In 1939, he created Metamorphosis II. Atrani once again features prominently, but instead of being at the beginning of a series of transitions, the little town is now virtually at the end. The most striking difference between Metamorphoses I and II, however, is that beginning and ending are the same in the latter. This creates a never-ending cycle.

I once met a man who told me that, as a little boy, he was given a model of Metamorphosis II to play with. He thought Escher had constructed a cupboard with an open ‘window’. The work featured a handle, which was used to turn the spectacle along the window. If my memory serves me correctly, the man and his brothers loved nothing more than endlessly rotating Metamorphosis II. The man's account of his childhood was partly the reason for us mounting the 48 meter long Metamorphosis III in a round frame as part of our exhibition.

Metamorphosis III is based on Metamorphosis II. The 4 meter long Metamorphosis II was extended by 115 inches in June 1967 and in the first months of 1968. Or, as Escher wrote to his son: I feel compelled to 'add new metamorphoses, or transitional stages.' He hopes it will be a successful venture:

By staging a permanent exhibition, we are able to show visitors how Escher's thinking evolved over the decades. Seeing these three works alongside each other enhances our understanding of Escher's development. Visitors could easily dedicate a few hours just to this series alone. Only then can you truly comprehend what went on inside Escher's head. In Metamorphosis I, Escher discovered a new concept: this is the first work in which he uses the tessellation technique to transform one image into another in a seemingly random fashion. The realistic depiction of the Italian town of Atrani gradually and relatively 'simplistically' morphs into a figure. Tessellations are patterns of identical shapes that seamlessly interlock and can be repeated endlessly. This explains why these wonderful shapes are sometimes referred to as 'tiles'. If, like Escher, you choose to depict abstract notions such as eternity and perpetuity, tessellated/tiling patterns are the ideal way to achieve this. In fact, you can't wish for anything more pleasing.

M.C. Escher was a fun and playful character. He did not believe in creating rigid or inflexible transitions. The evolution from Metamorphosis II to Metamorphosis III involves more than just changes in appearance and shape. He referred to his approach as follows:

That is why it is important that people who are unable to visit The Hague in person to see this series, view the video clip of Metamorphosis III. If you watch the video several times, your initial amazement at Escher's technical prowess will slowly ebb away. Gradually, you will be able to focus more on the content. Marvel at how the word 'metamorphose' transforms into pictorial images! After an indistinct grey, the letters turn into a block pattern. These blocks, in turn, evolve into a chess board that starts to dance and culminates in a series of events.