Convex and Concave
1955
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph
Dimensions
image: 28.26 × 33.5 cm (11 1/8 × 13 3/16 in.) sheet: 40.32 × 44.45 cm (15 7/8 × 17 1/2 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection
Accession Number
1974.28.55
Art Historical Context
**Convex and Concave**, a mesmerizing 1955 lithograph by Dutch artist M.C. Escher invites viewers into a world of perceptual paradox. Measuring 28.26 × 33.5 cm on a larger 40.32 × 44.45 cm sheet, print from the Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection the National Gallery of Art Escher's lifelong fascination with mathematics and illusion. Created through the meticulous technique of lithography—allowing for intricate tonal gradations and precise lines—Escher transforms a seemingly ordinary village square into a mind-bending architectural enigma. At first glance, the scene appears as a convex, out...
About the Artist
M.C. Escher
Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) was a Dutch graphic artist renowned for his mathematically-inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints featuring impossible constructions, tessellations, and explorations of infinity. Though he considered himself lacking in mathematical ability, Escher's work demonstrates profound intuitive understanding of geometry, symmetry, and spatial paradox. A transform...