About this episode
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the work and influence of M.C. Escher, exploring his artistic techniques and mathematical connections.
Misha Glenny and guests discuss the work of Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972), the graphic artist and printmaker best known for his impossible buildings, paradoxical perspectives, and repeating geometric patterns. Born in Leeuwarden and trained as a printmaker, Escher visited the Alhambra in Granada and found inspiration in the tessellating shapes of Islamic art. Through his career he went on to create some of the most famous images of the twentieth century and has been called a one-man art movement. After his work was exhibited in a 1954 conference, Escher’s work also caught the eye of mathematicians who appreciated his intuitive geometric precision. Escher was influenced by their work, and they were influenced by his – despite Escher never thinking he was actually very good at maths himself. With Marcus du Sautoy Simonyi Professor for the Public Understanding of Science, Professor of Mathematics and Fellow of New College, University of Oxford Sarah Hart Professor Emerita of Mathematics and Fellow of Birkbeck, University of London, and Fellow of Gresham College And Judith Kadee Exhibitions project manager and public programme curator at Hague Historical Museum Producer: Martha…
People in this episode
Host: Melvyn Bragg
Guests: Misha Glenny, Marcus du Sautoy, Sarah Hart, Judith Kadee
Topics covered
- M.C. Escher
- graphic art
- mathematics
- Islamic art
- geometric patterns
- impossible buildings
Keywords
- M.C. Escher
- graphic artist
- impossible buildings
- geometric patterns
- mathematics
- Islamic art
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: University of Oxford, Birkbeck, University of London, Hague Historical Museum
Books & works: M.C. Escher, Blueprints: How Mathematics Shapes Creativity, Finding Moonshine: A Mathematician’s Journey Into Symmetry, The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher
Places: Leeuwarden, Alhambra, Granada
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