Hand with Reflecting Sphere by M.C. Escher (1935)
What we learned-
- Escher worked primarily in black, white and gray, eschewing color in order to bring more focus to his graphic style of illustrative printmaking.
- Like many of his works, this self-portrait is a lithographic print- meaning that it was first etched onto a stone, then inked and printed. (The first printing of the image was done in January 1935.)
- Mathematics played a large role in Escher’s works (esp. after 1936) and he created many well known pieces that played off of a mathematical grid system as well as explored the concept of infinity.
Discussion Questions:
- How would you define the space of this portrait? (What is in the foreground? The middleground? The background?)
- What role does Escher play in his own portrait? (Is he the artist? The viewer?)
- If you can see the space behind Escher reflected in the sphere (the room), why is the space in front of him (around his hand and sphere) empty?
