Review written by:  Pam Cowgill

For the first talk of the year Liz told us about this unusual artist. I say unusual but in fact some of his work was bordering on the weird. However, I am delighted to say I thought his woodcuts and lithographs absolutely fantastic.

First Liz gave us a rundown of his life then went on to describe his work which she said was in fact, Escher’s own description. Escher was a Dutch artist, not a painter as such but was known for his “mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs and engravings”. He produced 2500 items in his lifetime. He was born in 1898 and died aged 73 in 1972 and travelled extensively in Europe. He was inspired by Islamic decorations, majolica tiles and stucco on buildings.

His fame grew in the 1920’s but due to the unrest in Europe he moved around living in Switzerland and Belgium finally settling in Baarm, Holland where the Escher foundation can be found. In 1951 he was interviewed and featured in both 'Time' and 'Life' magazine.

This is a description of one of the slides Liz featured called 'Snakes' (concept of infinity).  "Here Escher again illustrates the concept of infinity. However, here he introduces a new invention: infinitely small rings grow from the center of the circle, reach a maximum size, and then diminish again as they reach the outer circumference".  His drawings and woodcuts of buildings and staircases had to be seen to be believed and I cannot describe them in this review. I think he was a genius.   The talk was both informative and enjoyable. Well done Liz.

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