Escher Today

It is International Cat Day. That should lead to an abundance of cute cat movies, but we will mark the occasion by sharing a work by Escher. He depicted several cats (and catlike animals) in his linocuts and woodcuts, mainly in his younger years. Sometimes as a subject, sometimes as a detail.

In August 1946 Escher created a mezzotint of a mummified frog. He rarely used this technique, despite the subtle nuances in tone it can achieve. The choice of both subject and composition are atypical for this period, in which he experiments with tessellations and geometrical shapes. He depicts the skeleton exactly as he sees it. Escher found the frog behind a piece of furniture in his own house. He printed the work himself on his own press, in an edition of 24 copies.

On 28 July 1750 German composer Johann Sebastian Bach died in Leipzig. Maurits Cornelis Escher was a big fan. 'I believe that no music moves me as much...', he wrote about Bach’s compositions to his friend Roosje in June 1920.

On 23 July 1926 George Arnold Escher is born, the first of Maurits’s and Jetta’s three sons. He was named after grandfather Escher and after Nol, Escher’s brother who had tragically died during a mountain trip the year before.

'He's an adorable, sweet and beautiful child. Definitely not a freak,'

Escher wrote to his parents.

Summer holidays! Time to relax, to escape, to discover. The holidays always offer a new perspective. A fresh look on daily life, insight into other cultures, or just a new appreciation of the comfort of your own home. It can also bring a literal new perspective: the view from an aeroplane. Escher, a master in playing with perspective, never flew in a plane in the 30s. Yet, he could imagine this special perspective with the greatest ease.

This is Plane Filling II, a lithograph from July 1957 without an underlying system. The shapes extend out in all directions. It is perhaps the weirdest print in Escher’s oeuvre.

On 4 July 1935, the Escher family moved from Rome to the Swiss town of Château-d’Oex, out of sheer necessity. Maurits would have liked to stay in Italy, but he found the rise of fascism increasingly hard to stomach. His sons being forced to wear Mussolini uniforms was the last straw. But there was a second reason. The youngest son, Arthur, suffered from tuberculosis and moving to the mountains would improve his health. The fact that Nina, Jetta’s sister, was already living in Switzerland, brought Château-d’Oex even more into the picture.

After their holidays with the Schiblers in Steckborn the Escher family travels to the Netherlands at the end of June 1931. Jette and the kids would stay until 1 September and Maurits until 18 September. He used these 3½ months to enhance and broaden his technique. He visited the artist Fokko Mees, who taught him the possibilities of end-grain engraving with a chisel. Escher bought a graver with a magnifier to create this very detailed work.

Summer! It's the longest day of the year. Escher in The Palace wishes everyone beautiful weeks with lots of sunshine and relaxation. Maurits Escher himself sets a good example. In June 1931 he was with his family in the Swiss town of Steckborn. Jetta's sister Nina and her husband Oskar Schibler lived there, at whose residence they used to spend their summer holidays. The Schibler house was located at the lake of Konstanz. On this page from his private photo albums we see Maurits and his sons in a canoe at the lake, enjoying the summer sun and the Swiss mountain air.

Father's day! Maurits Cornelis Escher was an artist but also a husband and father. From his marriage to Jetta three sons were born: George Arnold (23 July 1926), Arthur Eduard (8 December 1928) en Jan Christoffel (6 March 1938).