Maurits C. Escher, a self-described idle cricket in
a world of ants.

A Dutch artist who chose to take the path of a graphic
artist instead of architect, with hesitant consent of
his father on top of his teacher Samuel Jessurun de
Mesquita, making him feel like the lone man with the
lantern in his woodcut drawing "Never Think Before You
Begin".  His path as a graphic artist began at Haarlem
School for Architecture and Decorative Arts where he drew
"Day and Night", while struggling to create an image whose
intense feelings he felt fled the image that came out of
them.

He was dejected by his unrequited love interest in
Switzerland, so he moved on.  He found himself in
Siena, Italy, and knew this was the place for romantics
such as himself.  He pitied the northerners, who didn't
live amongst the beauty that he did in his "Italian Town".

He drew, made woodcuts and wrote letters one after the
other to express the magnitude of his feelings for his
love of Italy.  With his real work being landscapes of
Italy that he sketched out, such as "Castrovalva" and
"Atrani, Coast of Amalfi".  He also made differing
sketches in Sicily, such as "Cathedral of Cefalu, Sicily"
and "Cave Dwellings, Sicily".

His main ideal as an artist was to use as few means as
possible to express an idea as clearly as possible, which
he would always cherish and try to use in his works.

                  "After all what is man?"

Finally he met a "Beautiful" woman, named Jetta.  She was
"The Second Day of Creation" for him, as she returned
his love.  They married thus creating a "Bond of Union"
between them, and lived a carefree life in Rome
unencumbered by life's status and society's pressure.
He loved Jetta so, that she was the only person he felt
comfortable making portraits of, except for a few like
"Self-Portrait" and "Escher's Father", whose name was
George A. Escher, who instilled in him a lifelong interest
in mathematics and science.

They had kids, and he continued his life as an artist
which was afforded by his parents generous gift of financial
support for his way of life that didn't quite support them.
He thanked the "Sun and Moon" and the "Stars" for this
"Life Force" of financial support from his parents.

He took annual Spring hikes that refreshed his spirit,
while at the same time he wrestled with what he felt
was his worst vice in life, smoking.  Each giving him
"Fulfillment" of a differing kind.

They moved from Italy to live in Switzerland where he
also left behind his woodcuts in favor of drawing as a
means to look back upon his life in Italy.  He hated snow
which he felt was nature's white cold blanket that
covered the beauty that lay beneath.  To him, living here
was like an "Encounter" with "Hell", with the "Devils"
being the cold and snow.

He and Jetta became estranged as he became more
engrossed in his "Knots" of work and she became
ill from isolation with feelings of hatred feelings
towards his black and white, which landed her in a
sanitarium.  This made her feel like a tilted object
in his "Still Life with Mirror" with "Eight Heads".

    "I am a graphic artist and that's all I am
     because I cannot help Jetta."

His artistic eyes and vision filled drawing hands were
re-opened on vacation in Spain.

He came upon Moorish tile work that had seemingly endless
geometric patterns which which became a "Metamorphosis" for
his future artwork by filling in the patterns with birds,
fish, frogs, lizards, and other recognizable figures in
mosaics.

    "I myself prefer to live among abstractions that
     have nothing to do with reality."

With the exclusion of Jews into museums, he stops exhibiting.
To him prejudice is "The Fall of Man".  After WWII he makes
a living for a bit of time off of his work, which excites
him to no end.

    "If something moves me I have to draw it, even if
     I only make little money."

He was forever thankful to Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita,
his old school teacher and well known graphic artist
as well.  He helped him find his "Path of Life" and was a
continuing influence in his life, even after he died, via a
photograph.

As a graphic artist, his appeal is unequaled by any other,
even making it in an issue of "Rolling Stone ".

After all his "Drawing Hands" drew many famous prints, my
favorite being "Snakes".  Which is one among many beautiful
unusual drawings that he did, with his works decorating
millions of posters, t-shirts, ties computer screens and
whatever else they can be printed on.

    "Man's ego is uncompromisingly the center of the world!"

It took 30 years of working as a graphic artist to eek out
a living off of his work, which is the usual cost of being
a artist, making more money dead than alive.  The
"Relativity" of making money to living a good life was
to him very clear like a "Hand with Reflecting Sphere".
In his life as a working artist, money to him was a
"Contrast" of "Three Spheres" - living with it,
living without it and just getting by.

    "What else do we do but dance death into our
     souls in the dance of death which is the same
     as the dance of life in meaning?"

You can see most of his works at the National "Gallery"
of Art, located in Washington D.C., or through a virtual
tour in the "Other World (Another World)" of computer
reality.


by savvy-10/16/2000...

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