Belvedere (M. C. Escher)
Encyclopedia
Belvedere is a lithograph
print by the Dutch
artist M. C. Escher
, first printed in May 1958. It shows a plausible-looking building which turns out to be impossible
.
In this print, Escher uses two-dimensional images to depict objects free of the confines of the three-dimensional world. The image is of a rectangular three story building. The upper two floors are open at the sides with the top floor and roof supported by pillars. From the viewer's perspective, all the pillars on the middle floor are the same size on both the front and back, but the pillars at the back are set higher. The viewer also sees by the corners of the top floor that it is at a different angle than the rest of the structure. All these elements make it possible for all the pillars on the middle floor to stand at right angles, yet the pillars at the front support the back side of the top floor while the pillars at the back support the front side. This paradox
also allows a ladder to extend from the inside of the middle floor to the outside of the top floor.
There is a man seated at the foot of the building holding an impossible cube. He appears to be constructing it from a diagram of a Necker cube
at his feet with the intersecting lines circled. The window next to him is closed with an iron grille which is geometrically valid but practically impossible to assemble.
The woman who is about to climb the steps of the building is modeled after a figure from the right panel of Hieronymus Bosch’s 1500 triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights
. This panel is individually titled Hell. A portion of Hell had earlier been recreated by Escher as a lithograph in 1935.
Lithography
Lithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
print by the Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
artist M. C. Escher
M. C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
, first printed in May 1958. It shows a plausible-looking building which turns out to be impossible
Impossible object
An impossible object is a type of optical illusion consisting of a two-dimensional figure which is instantly and subconsciously interpreted by the visual system as representing a projection of a three-dimensional object although it is not actually possible for such an object to exist An impossible...
.
In this print, Escher uses two-dimensional images to depict objects free of the confines of the three-dimensional world. The image is of a rectangular three story building. The upper two floors are open at the sides with the top floor and roof supported by pillars. From the viewer's perspective, all the pillars on the middle floor are the same size on both the front and back, but the pillars at the back are set higher. The viewer also sees by the corners of the top floor that it is at a different angle than the rest of the structure. All these elements make it possible for all the pillars on the middle floor to stand at right angles, yet the pillars at the front support the back side of the top floor while the pillars at the back support the front side. This paradox
Paradox
Similar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
also allows a ladder to extend from the inside of the middle floor to the outside of the top floor.
There is a man seated at the foot of the building holding an impossible cube. He appears to be constructing it from a diagram of a Necker cube
Necker cube
The Necker Cube is an optical illusion first published as a rhomboid in 1832 by Swiss crystallographer Louis Albert Necker.-Ambiguity:The Necker Cube is an ambiguous line drawing....
at his feet with the intersecting lines circled. The window next to him is closed with an iron grille which is geometrically valid but practically impossible to assemble.
The woman who is about to climb the steps of the building is modeled after a figure from the right panel of Hieronymus Bosch’s 1500 triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights
The Garden of Earthly Delights
The Garden of Earthly Delights is a triptych painted by the early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch , housed in the Museo del Prado in Madrid since 1939. Dating from between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was about 40 or 50 years old, it is his best-known and most ambitious work...
. This panel is individually titled Hell. A portion of Hell had earlier been recreated by Escher as a lithograph in 1935.
See also
- Belvedere (structure)Belvedere (structure)Belvedere is an architectural term adopted from Italian , which refers to any architectural structure sited to take advantage of such a view. A belvedere may be built in the upper part of a building so as to command a fine view...
- LithographyLithographyLithography is a method for printing using a stone or a metal plate with a completely smooth surface...
- ParadoxParadoxSimilar to Circular reasoning, A paradox is a seemingly true statement or group of statements that lead to a contradiction or a situation which seems to defy logic or intuition...
- PrintmakingPrintmakingPrintmaking is the process of making artworks by printing, normally on paper. Printmaking normally covers only the process of creating prints with an element of originality, rather than just being a photographic reproduction of a painting. Except in the case of monotyping, the process is capable...
- Necker cubeNecker cubeThe Necker Cube is an optical illusion first published as a rhomboid in 1832 by Swiss crystallographer Louis Albert Necker.-Ambiguity:The Necker Cube is an ambiguous line drawing....
- M. C. Escher's WaterfallWaterfall (M. C. Escher)Waterfall is a lithography print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher which was first printed in October, 1961. It shows an apparent paradox where water from the base of a waterfall appears to run downhill before reaching the top of the waterfall....
Sources
- Escher's Belvedere
- Locher, J.L. (2000). The Magic of M. C. Escher. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. ISBN 0-8109-6720-0.