Escher :: essays research papers

EscherFor my art piece I chose M.C. Eschers Eight Heads from 1922. It depicts eight different heads that all fashion model from each other. One of Eschers many styles was to constrain images that form other images inside themselves. Eight Heads show 2 faces that could be considered evil or the devil. It has four different women in the piece and the pattern of daub of the heads is more prevalent here than with any other head. The last cardinal figures are the heads of cardinal men wearing hats of the style worn at the time. These two heads and two of the four female heads and staring right at you. The other four heads are flipped, so that they are upside when you see it in a book. Escher always had a way of incorporating many images into a small area by flipping certain images and making every two or four images form other ill-doinggle or two images. Most of Eschers works are black and white some are in beautiful accepted color though. I guess you could call him a surrealist, but all of his work is different. Some are scenic landscapes, others are odd images of himself or another person and some are geometric shapes. Through every piece there is a hint, or a statement in some cases, of symmetry.My personal opinion of the piece is that its appealing to the eye first off, with its black and white and flipped images. A second look gives you and idea about the period of the painting. I liked it first for its sweeping lines that connect the faces. I also like the way he appeals to all angles. Hes got the image of devils bleeding into modern women. I like the way that his paintings can be taken and translated into so many different meanings. I interpret the faces as representing hell and how close sin is to life. There are two devil men and two straight men. So might there be two devil women and also two straight women? My answer is yes, two of the women are evil. This is what I like about the piece, its shows secrets to those who can think or dream of them. The devil is easier to see in the men than it is in the women. Maybe this is what Escher is trying to say through this piece.