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"Whoever wants to portray something that
does not exist has to obey certain rules. Those rules are more or less the
same as for the teller of fairy tales: he has to apply the function of contrasts;
he has to cause a shock.… That is why such a game can be played and understood
only by those who are prepared to penetrate the surface, those who agree to
use their brains, just as in the solving of a riddle. It is thus not a matter
for the senses, but rather a cerebral matter. Profundity is not at all necessary,
but a kind of humour and self-mockery is a must."
(Escher, in Escher, 1989, p. 136)
Interestingly enough, Escher’s name
is mentioned more often in introductory mathematics and psychology texts than
in introductions to art history. The fact is that Escher did not consider
aesthetic value as an end in itself, but rather as the outcome of meticulous
cutting or engraving of wood and a rigorous application of his far-reaching
studies in geometry and perception.
Mathematics and geometry teachers often use his prints to demonstrate to their
students how science can be a source of poetry and beauty. Psychology textbooks
present them as proof of the claim that our perceptions of reality are in
fact “constructions.” Thus, three traditionally unrelated disciplines
intersect in Escher’s work.
