The impossible world of MC Escher in Porto in February

Starting on 28 February, the retrospective exhibition by Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher will be on display at the Old Customs House Porto Conference Centre, featuring about 135 works, namely mathematically-inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints, on the themes of impossible objects, explorations of infinity, reflection, symmetry, perspective, truncated and stellated polyhedra, hyperbolic geometry, and tessellations.

Somewhat ignored in the art scene (even in his native Netherlands) Escher was 70 years old when a retrospective exhibition on his artwork was held.

Following successful exhibitions in several cities across Europe and in the USA, the Arthemisia Organisation, the leading company regarding exhibits and the Escher Foundation, has decided to bring this display to the city of Porto, as "we had confirmation of the Portuguese cultural liveliness, namely in the magnificent city of Porto", as stated by Arthemisia President, Iole Siena.

The exhibit is curated by Mark Valdhuisen, M.C. Escher Company Director and by Frederico Guidiceandrea, a renowned expert on Escher's work.

This will be the occasion to a close encounter with the work of a visionary, who has captivated the minds of scientists and the imagination of graphic artists. On display, 135 works of art, including the master pieces "Hand with Reflecting Sphere" also known as "Self-Portrait in Spherical Mirror", "Eye", mezzotint (1946), "Three Worlds" (1955) and "Rind"(1955) and "Bond of Union" (1956).

Escher attended the Haarlem School of Fine Arts where he studied architecture and decorative arts, later on, which he dropped and joined Graphic Arts Professor of Portuguese ascent, Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita, who led to his working on etching techniques, drawing, lithography and wood engraving.

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