Product Details

• Format: PAL
• Language: English
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Springer
• ASIN: 3540926453

Editorial Reviews

Review

... The work of the Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher (1898-1972) can be enjoyed as art in its own right and as a wonderful source of illustrations of abstract mathematical ideas, including symmetry groups, tilings of the Euclidean and hyperbolic planes and paradoxes. In 1954 the International Congress of Mathematicians was held in Amsterdam and an exhibition of Escher's work was arranged to coincide with the Congress. Though Escher himself is confessed to no mathematical training, the interest of mathematicians was immediately aroused. In particular, Roger Penrose and H. S. M. Coxeter formalised and extended some of the mathematical ideas implicit in his work. In addition, crystallographers such as Caroline MacGillavry found a wealth of applications in illustrations.
Any publisher dealing with the mathematics of Escher's work must decide on the relative emphasis to be placed on the art and on the mathematics. A purchaser seeking to understand something of the mathematics of Escher's work can be aided in his understanding through the types of media used by the publisher. Almost without exception, the serious purchaser will take advantage of a variety of media sources to aid understanding. This is particularly true when the purchaser is a teacher. ...
The video under review can form part of the materials used to develop an appropriate level of understanding. At the lowest level, this reviewer believes that some familiarity with Escher's work should be attained through introductory materials before viewing the video. At a more abstract level, it can also be used to provide an overview of concepts already developed. There is valuable historical footage involving appearances by Coxeter, Penrose, MacGillavry and Bruno Ernst. In any case, the video is visually interesting and attractive enough in its own right for almost any viewer.
......... There is continuous visual stimulation during the film including cinematic animation, the use of accurate models and camera techniques, allowing the viewer to focus on the particular features of the work being discussed or to focus on the re-construction of an Escher work in stages. .....
(From The Australian Mathematical Gazette, Vol. 28, Issue 5, 2001)
Almost everyone will know M.C. Escher, the famous Dutch artist, whose later work has very strong links to mathematics. The film explores this relationship and uses the possibilities of this medium to its full extent to show spectacular examples of Escher's work. The related mathematics is explained and skillfully visualised. Several well-known mathematicians including H.M.S. Coxeter and Roger Penrose appear in the film, commenting on some of the material. Cinema technique allows both to isolate drawing details and also magnify them many time in order to appreciate from close up the precision of the artists method. Another important element is the fact that a movie forces those who look at it to see things passing quickly on the screen in a definte order. Many of Escher's works are like a story that develops. They must be observed in the sequence suggested by Escher himself. This is why the movie camera permits a very precise and accurate analysis of Escher's works.
(ETDE Energy Database, December 2001)

Product Description

Almost everyone will know M.C. Escher, the famous Dutch artist, whose later work has very strong links to mathematics. Michele Emmer's film explores this relationship and uses the possibilities of this medium to full extent to show spectacular examples of Escher's work.
The related mathematics is explained and skillfully visualised. Several well-known mathematicians, including H.M.S. Coxeter and Roger Penrose, appear in the film, commenting on some of the material.