Sunday, June 17, 2012

Graphic Grandeur (Up the Down Staircase Edition)

Artist M.C. Escher was born on this date in 1898. Take a look--a long look--at one of his lithographs (Sorry if this picture goes outside the frame some, but the only way I could do it justice is by showing it in its original size): 
 
Relativity (1953)

I think I'll take the elevator instead.

11 comments:

  1. wahahahahahahaha... wonderful
    but I must say his art drives me crazy !
    When my oldest child was in high school so many of his friends where crazy about Escher.

    cheers, parsnip

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  3. I get vertigo from just looking at his stuff, parsnip.

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  4. i've always liked escher, 'cause he makes my head spin. like i needed more of that.

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  5. I used a lot of Escher's work for my classes, utilizing tessellation. Which I was ultimately fired for, also using Paul Klee's color block theory. For kids who didn't know how to mix colors. I wasn't making enough popsicle stick items. That is verbatim from administration "educators". Instead I was trying to teach problem solving and higher order thinking. Just sayin' Love your blog.

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    1. "Educators" "It's a wonder I can think at all"- Paul Simon

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    2. kids of any age can learn problem solving and higher order thinking. good grief. sounds like the administrators never learned either of those!

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  6. You didn't say hold these kids were, Patricia, but if they were expected to make popstick items, I'm guessing they weren't in high school. Public schools (assuming you taught at public schools) tend to take a one size fit all approach, even though each child is unique, and each may require a uniqye approach. Since the goal--a worthy one at that--of public schools is to educate the masses, maybe that's the only realistic way of doing it. I don't know. Sounds like you would have been better off in a Montessorey type situation (assuming you weren't). I'm told they do take the unique approach.

    Personally, I wish schools would acknowledge comics as an art form, but that's my own particular hang-up.

    Welcome to the blog, Patricia. Please come back.

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    1. I'm sure you're not the only one who views comics as an art form. But so is tattoing and may that should be taught in a shop class.
      Do they still have shop classes?

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    2. If you believe tatooing is an art form, why are you suggesting it be taught in shop class? Shouldn't it be taught in art class? Maybe you could elaborate.

      As for comics, allow me to elaborate. I fully understand the problems involved with teaching comics, or anything that falls under the catagory "pop culture", in school. While I believe a lot of talented, creative people--hell, maybe MOST talented, creative people--have labored in popular culture over the years, the people who bankroll it aren't interested in creating art, just making money. This makes it very different from, say, an art gallery or philharmonica orchestra or playhouse. The people who bankroll those things may be interested in money, too, but it's probably not be their main concern, as there are a lot of different ways to make a buck. So, pop culture, mass media, is basically a product. I get that. But art CAN arise there, though the odds may be against it.

      My answer to Patricia's comment may have been a bit misleading. I said schools should ACKNOWLEDGE, not teach, that comics are an art form. I also said it was my own particular hang-up. When I was a kid I used to create my own comic strips all the time, as my immediate family members will attest to. I would often take these to school, but no teacher, certainly no art teacher, ever took them at anything more than face value. Comics aren't art, and that's that.

      Kids don't know the difference between "pop" culture and "serious" culture. What I would like is some acknowledgement that an interest in comics may be indicative of a larger interest in art, that an interest in Top-40 may be indicative of a larger interest in music, that an interest in--GASP!--television may be indicative of a larger interest in drama. That's all I'm trying to say. Afterwards, if you want to steer innocent young minds to more nobler, more higher pursuits, than fine. But first you have to acknowledge the interest, period.

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In order to keep the hucksters, humbugs, scoundrels, psychos, morons, and last but not least, artificial intelligentsia at bay, I have decided to turn on comment moderation. On the plus side, I've gotten rid of the word verification.