Tag Archives: M C Escher

‘Op Art’

Seurat to Riley: The Art of Perception, Compton Verney, until 1st October 2017

Blaze IV,
Bridget Riley,
© UK Government Art Collection © Bridget Riley 2017. All rights reserved

Regular readers of my blog may recall that in October 2015 I posted about a small but enjoyable exhibition Bridget Riley: Learning from Seurat at the Courtauld Gallery and now in this large-scale show at Compton Verney this debt is re-visited and much expanded upon.

La Luzerne, Saint-Denis,
Georges Seurat,
© Scottish National Gallery

It reminds us that since the 19th century some artists have been fascinated by the way in which the eye sees optical illusions as it responds to visual stimuli and this point is well proven in this exhibition. Ninety diverse ‘Op Art’ works are featured in the show, including pieces by Victor Vasarely, Julio Le Parc, Jeffrey Steele, Jesus Rafael Soto, Carlos Cruz-Diez, Peter Sedgley, Liliane Lijn and, of course, Bridget Riley and Seurat.

Our Spectral Vision,2016,
Liz West.
Photo (c) Hannah Devereux

Professor Steven Parissien, Director of Compton Verney sums it up: “Optical Art explores a range of effects and emotions, using complex geometry and advanced mathematics to communicate with the viewer in a way that is simultaneously mentally challenging and visually appealing. This wonderful exhibition demonstrates just how exhilarating, electrifying and (quite literally) eye-opening Op Art can be.”

The show is curated by Penelope Sexton and Dr Frances Follin and appropriately enough supported by Farrow & Ball.

Pulse 05,
White Earthenware, Underglaze colour, matt glaze, 2012.
Sara Moorhouse,
(c) Sara Moorhouse

http://www.comptonverney.org.uk

Escher

‘The Amazing World of M. C. Escher’, Dulwich Picture Gallery, Gallery Road, London SE21 until 17th January 2016

M.C. Escher, Day and Night, February 1938, Woodcut in black and grey, 39.2 x 67.8 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands © 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com

M.C. Escher, Day and Night, February 1938, Woodcut in black and grey, 39.2 x 67.8
cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands
© 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. http://www.mcescher.com

Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898–1972) is an artist of great appeal and even though you may think you don’t know his work you will most likely discover that you do from your childhood and teenage years – perhaps even from a Mott the Hoople LP cover, even though he refused Mick Jagger’s request to create one for the Stones. His work has influenced our popular culture; think of films such as Labyrinth, Inception and television programmes like the Family Guy and the Simpsons and even the gaming app Monument Valley.

M.C. Escher, Contrast (Order and Chaos), Feburary 1950, Lithograph, 28 x 28 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands. © 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com

M.C. Escher, Contrast (Order and Chaos), Feburary 1950, Lithograph, 28 x 28 cm,
Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands.
© 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. http://www.mcescher.com

As this first major UK exhibition which traces his whole career reveals he was a man of huge talent and imagination and one can totally understand why mathematicians find his work intriguing.  The gallery’s Sackler Director Ian A. C. Dejardin sums it up eloquently: “It is difficult to think of an artist with a broader appeal than M C Escher. His images are so magical, and so incredibly clever, that he creates impossible images that feel utterly real, like the very best fantasy writers. Enjoying these impossible realities, it’s easy to overlook the astonishing skill that has gone into the drawing. This exhibition is a revelation; the artist defies categorisation, but Escher is a worthy addition to Dulwich’s wonderful series of exhibitions devoted to graphic artists”.

M.C. Escher, Regular Division of the Plane with Reptiles/ Lizards no.56, November 1942, 22 x 20.7 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands. © 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com

M.C. Escher, Regular Division of the Plane with Reptiles/ Lizards no.56, November 1942, 22 x 20.7 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands.
© 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. http://www.mcescher.com

The works come together with archive material from the collection of the Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Netherlands.

M.C. Escher, Waterfall, October 1961, Lithograph, 38 x 30 cm, Collection Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands © 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. www.mcescher.com

M.C. Escher, Waterfall, October 1961, Lithograph, 38 x 30 cm, Collection
Gemeentemuseum Den Haag, The Hague, The Netherlands
© 2015 The M.C. Escher Company-The Netherlands. All rights reserved. http://www.mcescher.com

http://www.dulwichpicturegallery.org.uk