Visions of Symmetry: Notebooks, Periodic Drawings, and Related Work of M.C. Escher [Paperback]

Doris Schattschneider (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 1992

Visions of symmetry contains Esch r's complete set of symmetry drawings reproduced in full colour and two Escher notebooks (which contain his theory of symmetry). In all, there are more than 350 intriguing illustrations (about 80 of which have never been published.) Escher's own descriptions, translated from the Dutch, provide a fascinating glimpse into the creative mind of this renowned graphic artist. Bringing ten years experience and enthusiasm to her work, author Doris Schattschneider (co-author of the best-selling book M. C Escher Kakidocycks) focuses on Escher's creation of interlocking figures and how he used them in his finished work. ' Visions of Symmetry is a visual and intellectual presentation of M. C. Escher's theory of symmetry and the interplay of art and science, making it the ideal book for Escher enthusiasts of all stripes-artists, designers, historians, mathematicians, and scientists.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: W. H. Freeman (August 15, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716723522
• ISBN-13: 978-0716723523
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #518,727 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive book on Escher's repeating pattern work., August 28, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Visions of Symmetry: Notebooks, Periodic Drawings, and Related Work of M.C. Escher (Paperback)

As a child, Maurits Cornelis Escher fitted together irregular pieces of cheese in his sandwiches so that they would completely fill the space between the slices of bread. From the very beginnings of his career as an artist, in 1921, he devised ways of interlocking images so as to leave no empty space, and then of making these images repeat infinitely in increasingly complex ways. Professor Schattschneider's magnificently illustrated volume analyses this critical aspect of Escher's work, focussing on a series of 137 symmetry drawings and watercolors created from 1926 to 1971, which the artist kept in five folders throughout his lifetime and which he used as references for his continuing work on the regular division of the plane. Included are analogies from each of these works (which now sell for tens and hundreds of thousands of dollars each) to his original prints and projects. As owner of and dealer in the main body of Escher's original prints, drawings and watercolors, which were previously on loan to the Hague Museum, I make extensive use of this book and commend it to all. Some of the text is written for the layman; other portions of the writing are technical and will be of interest to mathematicians and crystallographers. In addition, the quantity and quality of the full-page color illustrations, few of which are to be found in any other publication in print, contribute to making this book, which serves as a catalogue raisonné of the symmetry drawings and watercolors, eminently collectable.

The other key books on Escher are M.C. ESCHER: HIS LIFE AND COMPLETE GRAPHIC WORK; THE MAGIC MIRROR OF M.C. ESCHER; THE GRAPHIC WORK OF M.C. ESCHER; and ESCHER ON ESCHER. Persons technically inclined may also be interested in ART AND SCIENCE, which constitutes the proceedings of the 1985 Escher conference in Rome.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good look at Escher's tessellation research., February 15, 1999

By 

Hop David - See all my reviews

This review is from: Visions of Symmetry: Notebooks, Periodic Drawings, and Related Work of M.C. Escher (Paperback)

Doris Schattschneider's book takes a look at Escher's research on the regular division of the plane.

1/8 on an iceberg is visible while 7/8 is hidden. Escher's prints are like this. The visible image is only a small part of the thought and preparation that lies beneath the surface. Schattschneider takes us beneath the surface and shines a light on this hidden behemoth.

This volume is more demanding and difficult than other Escher books. But it is rewarding to delve into.

Meticulous, tenacious, thorough, playful. My adjectives for Escher are driven home even more forcefully by this book.

Ms Schattschneider did a fine job putting this book together.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent example of the method to the genius, March 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Visions of Symmetry: Notebooks, Periodic Drawings, and Related Work of M.C. Escher (Paperback)

This book has beautiful full color reproductions of Escher's notebooks, along with erxplainations and diagrams showing how Escher accomplished such a volume of work. It also includes anecdotes told by his friends, and reproductions of all three of the metamorphosis. Truly Brilliant! You can't go wrong with this book, be you mathemetitian, or artist