Written by Michiel Vliegenthart | 17th June 2018
After 120 years, M.C. Escher’s work still amazes audiences worldwide and this year a special exhibition is taking place in his hometown of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. In our Expert Talks, we hand over the metaphorical pen to one of our experts to discuss a subject in their field of expertise and in this edition, senior art expert Michiel Vliegenthart talks about his favourites from this exhibition titled Escher's Journey.
____________________
If there’s one exhibition this year that’s a must-see, it’s definitely Escher’s Journey in the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. 80 original prints, 20 drawings and photos from the internationally renowned artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) will be on display. M.C. Escher was born in Leeuwarden 120 years ago on 17th June, therefore it's quite spectacular that this year, his works are on display in his hometown in a special exhibition.
Image source: The Fries Museum. All rights reserved.
In this exhibition you can view iconic prints as well as the lesser-known works that together show the artistic development from the technically competent graphic designer to world-famous artist. A few works can be seen for the first time in decades or even for the first time ever in the Netherlands. Escher has fans of all ages all over the world and it’s not for nothing that Catawiki devotes a successful print auction to his work several times a year.
The more you dive into M.C. Escher’s mind-boggling oeuvre, the more fascinating it becomes and the more puzzles it creates at the same time. It is not only extremely clever, but also timeless and completely unique, which you will not find in any other artist. Following his artistic journey in this exhibitionis very interesting.
Escher lived and worked abroad for a a large part of his life. In the early 1930s he worked in Italy and it is believed that the years spent here were his happiest. The exhibition features many works from this time of his life including the the wood engraving 'San Cosimo, Ravello,' (1932).
Image source: The Fries Museum. All rights reserved.
Another top piece in the exhibition (and also one of my favourites) is the lithograph ‘Convex and Concave’ (1955). In this print, Escher dissects a piece of Mediterranean-style architecture. In a dizzying way he links different perspectives that collide with each other at the same time. Escher said of this: "Can you imagine that I was thinking about this print without interruption for much longer than a month because all my attempts were not always sufficiently easy to grasp?" Escher's previous attempts can be seen at the exhibition in the ten preliminary studies, together with the original lithographic stone that he used to make the print.
'Convex and Concave' (1955) © the M.C. Escher Company B.V. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com
Also to be seen in Leeuwarden is the woodcut titled ‘Sky and Water I’ (1938), one of Escher’s first successful attempts to elaborate his style of the so-called surface fills. In an inimitable way, the artist lets birds and fish spill over into each other's environment. The print gets favourable comments and the press praises Escher for his 'new style'. In fact these prints are still immensely popular among Escher collectors. A personally signed ‘Sky and Water II’ woodcut - also from 1938 and from the collection of its first owner - was sold on Catawiki for € 21,000 and found its way to an art lover.
Image source: The Fries Museum. All rights reserved.
The exhibition in the Fries Museum in Leeuwarden will run to 28th October 2018. For further information about when and where to see Escher’s Journey, visit the Fries Museum’s website.
____________________
Discover more Escher | art prints
You might also like these articles: