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M.C. Escher: Artist or Artisan?

© Jennifer Hollowell

“Every artist draws himself.” – M. C. Escher

To kick off this new Graphic Artists site, I'm starting with an article about M. C. Escher. Every week a different artist will be featured, so suggestions are welcome. In the future, samples of their work may accompany each article. Before we dive into the artist himself, let us first discuss the difference between an artist and an artisan. An artist is one who professes and practices an imaginative art. Some examples of this definition are those who paint, draw or have a particular talent for writing. An artisan is a craftsman. Some examples of this definition include woodworkers and architects. Maurits Cornelis Escher’s abilities are able to fit in both categories due to his rich artistic flair and his passion to produce intricate woodcuttings for his prints. He, himself, has never been able to comfortably call himself one or the other throughout his career. I have been studying several reference books and viewing several web sites about M. C. Escher only to find out one thing to be true: they all pretty much say the same thing. With the exception of John Prazak’s web site: Three Dimensional Models Based on the Works of M.C. Escher. John Prazak's site is the perfect place for enthusiasts to visit who have often wondered, “Is that possible?”

I am not trying to mislead you; there are a wealth of galleries on the net featuring chronicles of Escher’s work. With the copyright restrictions and limited availability of his work, though, you will find most of these sites contain a lot of the same work. For those who are not familiar with M. C. Escher’s work, any one of these sites will pretty much give you all the information you need. Everything from where and when he was born (Leeuwarden, Holland, June 17, 1898) to when his last work (“Snakes,” woodcut, 1969) was created before his death (March 27, 1972) at age seventy-three is either located on these sites or linked to it somewhere.

M. C. Escher has provided inspiration for my own artistic adventures for almost a decade now. I have been particularly interested in his “impossible” architectural structures like, for example, his 1960 lithograph, Ascending and Descending. Of course, I have not yet been able to grasp his mathematical concepts when he produces such work as, Whirlpools (November 1957), where he expresses concepts of infinity. It amazes me he has never received formal training in math or science because excerpts from his notebooks featured in M. C. Escher: Visions of Symmetry, by Doris Schattschneider, exhibits quite the contrary. This is based solely on my own personal opinion, mind you. Especially when I learned the majority of his work, which appears very intricate to me, are woodcut prints. The essence of his creative mind lies mainly in the areas of art, mathematics and illusion. He once said, “For me it remains an open question whether (this work) pertains to the realm of mathematics or that of art.” This quote, along with some very impressive descriptions, can be found at

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