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50 years of 'De Grafische'
2 February 2019

50 years of 'De Grafische'

A large exhibition was held in the Stedelijk Museum in February 1962 to celebrate the 50th jubilee of De Grafische, the association for the promotion of graphic arts. Naturally, Escher participated, as did his friend Gerd Arntz, and many other fellow graphic artists. It was not exactly the first time that graphic artists were exhibiting together and under the name of their association, but they had never done it so lavishly as they did for the jubilee exhibition. Under the title ‘Print’, 300 works were displayed at the Stedelijk Museum. Graphic work of all types, drawing on the most diverse styles, methods and opinions. A separate room was set up to devote attention to the history of graphic arts and provide an explanation of graphic techniques. The exhibition also saw the debut of the documentary De Zwarte Tampon (The Black Tampon), made by graphic artist (in this case scriptwriter and director) Harry van Kruiningen and photographer (here he did camera and editing) Ulkoja.

Dutch newspaper 'De Waarheid', 9 February 1962

Dutch newspaper 'De Waarheid', 9 February 1962

Dutch newspaper 'Trouw', 15 February 1962

Dutch newspaper 'Trouw', 15 February 1962

De Tijd, 8 February 1962

De Tijd, 8 February 1962

Escher with his fellow board members of 'De Grafische', July 1960. From left to right, standing: Gerd Arntz, Jan Bezemer, Pam Rueter. Seated: Lou Strik, Cor Basart, M.C. Escher and Hans van Dokkum. For many years Escher was the archivist of this associati

Escher with his fellow board members of 'De Grafische', July 1960. From left to right, standing: Gerd Arntz, Jan Bezemer, Pam Rueter. Seated: Lou Strik, Cor Basart, M.C. Escher and Hans van Dokkum. For many years Escher was the archivist of this associati

To many artists, De Grafische meant a lot in the course of its existence, because the association enabled members to exhibit and sell their work. Exhibitions held by the association stood for quality, a seal of approval for the general public, who were thus assured of getting to know all the developments in the graphic field. The participating artists could also view and discuss each other’s works. About 200 graphic artists held membership of De Grafische in the 20th century.

Exhibition catalogue

Exhibition catalogue

At the jubilee exhibition, M.C. Escher exhibited such pieces as his wood engravings Möbius Strip I and Depth.

M.C. Escher, Möbius Strip I, wood engraving and woodcut in red, green, gold and black, printed from four blocks, March 1961

M.C. Escher, Möbius Strip I, wood engraving and woodcut in red, green, gold and black, printed from four blocks, March 1961

M.C. Escher, Depth, wood engraving and woodcut in brown-grey, grey-green and dark brown, printed from three blocks, October 1955

M.C. Escher, Depth, wood engraving and woodcut in brown-grey, grey-green and dark brown, printed from three blocks, October 1955

Here are a number of works by artists who were represented at the jubilee exhibition, giving a good impression of its diversity.

Engelien Reitsma-Valença (1889-1981), ex-libris, etching, 1946

Engelien Reitsma-Valença (1889-1981), ex-libris, etching, 1946

Kuno Brinks (1908-1992), Mauresque, copper engraving, 1940

Kuno Brinks (1908-1992), Mauresque, copper engraving, 1940

Pam Rueter (1906-1998), ex-libris, wood engraving, 1958

Pam Rueter (1906-1998), ex-libris, wood engraving, 1958

Wim Beuning (1914-1986), Theorem of Verwey, lithograph, 1941. Collection: Frans Hals museum

Wim Beuning (1914-1986), Theorem of Verwey, lithograph, 1941. Collection: Frans Hals museum

Emile Puettmann (1921-1987), New Year's greeting card, lithograph, 1960

Emile Puettmann (1921-1987), New Year's greeting card, lithograph, 1960

Jan Bezemer (1907-1997), Circus, lithograph, 1954

Jan Bezemer (1907-1997), Circus, lithograph, 1954

Fred Koot (1927 - 2000), Duck on eggs, lithograph, 1955

Fred Koot (1927 - 2000), Duck on eggs, lithograph, 1955

Cor de Wolff, Fishes, color woodcut 1958

Cor de Wolff, Fishes, color woodcut 1958

Cor Basart, Seated woman, color woodcut, 1961

Cor Basart, Seated woman, color woodcut, 1961

Wim Motz (1900-1977), untitled, lithograph, 1961

Wim Motz (1900-1977), untitled, lithograph, 1961

Erik Kersten

Erik Kersten

Editor

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More Escher today

Het bezwaarde hart - The Burdened Heart

Het bezwaarde hart - The Burdened Heart

Poetry Day, next Thursday (31 January), is the start of Poetry Week in the Netherlands. Countless activities will be held to celebrate and encourage poetry. M.C. Escher was not a poet, but he did have a brother who met that description: Johan George Escher (usually called George, 1894-1969), the eldest son of the second marriage of George Arnold Escher with Sara Adriana Gleichman. He published two poetry collections. The first one, Het bezwaarde hart (The Burdened Heart), was published by Van Dishoeck in 1937. The second, Oude en nieuwe gedichten (Old and New Poems), appeared just before his death in 1969. Brother Maurits created the title page for the debut.
Flying fish, birds and boats in Haarlem

Flying fish, birds and boats in Haarlem

Of all the themes and subjects Escher had tackled during his career, the one he was most drawn to was the regular division of the plane. He engaged in countless experiments to examine the many ways in which a plane could be filled with patterns of geometric shapes. He did so in drawings in notebooks. In the process (and this embodies Escher’s great strength) he managed to bend these geometric shapes into recognisable figures. Crudely at first, but as he got more adept at this, the fish, birds, lizards, beetles, butterflies, horses and other animals and shapes kept getting more refined. The drawings were a form of research, but he also drew from them ideas for new work or for commercial assignments.
Magic Mirror

Magic Mirror

The liberation of May 1945 had a redeeming effect on all Dutch people who had suffered under five years of German occupation. The euphoria was enormous, and even Maurits Escher was swept up in it. On 7 May, in strong contrast to his usually reserved character, he stood cheering out loud on the street called Brink, where thousands of other residents of Baarn had gathered. After years of forced abstinence, he and Jetta threw themselves into a buffet of art, going out and enjoying good food. Work was not easy at first. He therefore limited himself to printing old works.