Self-Portrait in Spherical Mirror
1950
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
woodcut on wove paper
Dimensions
image (diameter): 8.2 cm (3 1/4 in.) sheet: 12.4 x 12.3 cm (4 7/8 x 4 13/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Cornelius Van S. Roosevelt Collection
Accession Number
1983.109.77
Art Historical Context
In 1950, Dutch artist M.C. Escher createdSelf-Portrait in Spherical*, a captivating woodcut on wove paper that exemplifies his lifelong fascination with optics, mathematics, and visual paradox. Measuring just 8.2 cm in diameter for the circular image, this intimate print captures Escher's reflection in a convex spherical mirror, distorting his into an elongated, otherworldly visage while revealing glimpses of his cluttered studio workspace. Printed from a meticulously carved woodblock—a labor-intensive relief technique Escher perfected—this small-scale work (sheet: 12.4 x 12.3 cm) invites view...
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...