Relativity
1953
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph
Dimensions
image: 28 x 29.1 cm (11 x 11 7/16 in.) sheet: 39.1 x 40.6 cm (15 3/8 x 16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection
Accession Number
1974.28.51
Art Historical Context
M.C. Escher's *Relativity* (1953) is a mesmerizing lithograph that exemplifies the Dutch artist's mastery of optical illusions and mathematical precision. Created as a print from a stone drawing, this medium allowed Escher to achieve intricate details and flawless repeatability, with the image measuring 28 x 29.1 cm on a larger 39.1 x 40.6 cm sheet. Housed in the National Gallery of Art's Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection, it captures Escher's fascination with impossible architectures, blending art and science in the post-World War II era when relativity theory captivated imaginations. Th...
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...