image essay #11

M. C. Escher’s Relativity nearly explains itself. The illusion Escher was able to capture is mind boggling. At nearly every angle possible Escher was able to make it look as if the piece was supposed to be placed that way, when in actuality there is no was in which the piece can be placed that supports what is going on. Escher was the first to create this type of artwork. From this came numerous varieties of optical illusion pieces. Optical illusions are that of which works as a whole seem sane, but physically are impossible. They mislead the brain to comprehend what it thinks it should see, when in actuality it is physically impossible.

The lighting in this piece had to be extremely hard to create as well. Escher had to figure out a way to make the lighting seem as if it were coming from a variety of angles and places. He made the light come from the doorways, but he also put lighting on foreground objects so it seems as if there is light behind us as we are looking at it. the way he made the three main stair cases surround the center of the page keeps your eye moving throughout the pieces entirety. There is so much to look at because Escher took the time to include precise detail so you can look at it for hours and probably still miss something.