The document provides information on the artistic careers and styles of M.C. Escher and Louise Bourgeois. It discusses Escher's development from technical print works in his youth to mathematically complex tessellations and optical illusions. It outlines Bourgeois' influences including personal trauma and her transition from painting to sculpting organic and humanoid forms to explore psychology and sexuality. A recurring motif in her work was the "Arch of Hysteria" depicting flexible male and female forms alluding to 19th century medical theories.

1. M.C. Escher
&
Louise Bourgeoise

2. – German born artist Escher first delved into the field of print work during
his later teenage years under the teachings of S. Jessurun de Mesquita.
– During this period Escher himself admits that his focus was not at all that
of a designer or artist but rather a craftsman, determined to attain
complete mastery of his skill; woodcut prints* and to a lesser degree
Lithographs and Linoleum cuts.
– Because of this Escher worked solely from life drawings and observational
sketches, picking and choosing imagery depending on what would allow
him to develop his technical mastery of the woodcut.
– Because of this very few Escher enthusiasts are likely to recognise his early,
and admittedly far more underwhelming pieces.
*Woodcut prints: specifically describing the gouging of side-grained woodblocks, usually pear, to create prints
with, a especially popular medium for graphic designers at the time.
M.C. Escher – Early work 1916- 1921

3. M.C. Escher-His Italian Period
– From 1923 to 1935 Escher lived and studied in Italy and it was about
this time that he really begun to develop a passion for more abstract
work.
“Ideas came into my mind quite unrelated to
graphic work, notions which so fascinated me that I
longed to communicate them to other people”
– Whilst the development of his techniques lessened in importance
Escher did not disregard his skillset, instead realising it was a perfect
and familiar method to communicate his new ideas en masse.
– Escher started studying the creation of vast and complex structures,
setting the groundwork for his later illusionary pieces, as well as
developing an intense interest in reflective orbs and their distortions
of the world around him.
– This period was a celebration of his amazingly in depth grasp of
perspective.

4. M.C. Escher- and now, Tessellations
– Upon his stay in Switzerland & Belgium Escher began to create a
plethora of prints that soon led to him being regarded by many
as the ‘Father of modern tessellations’.
– Quite suddenly, with absolutely no previous training or
education in the area, Escher proved himself to be quite simply a
mathematical genius, at least in the field of geometry.
– Spanish “Regular division of the plane” using tiling became the
inspiration of many intricate, beautiful and often rather comical
prints.
– About half of these including the idea of “Metamorphism” in
which motifs would seamlessly and symmetrically devolve into
others.
– Even modern day mathematicians, with specific computer
programs to aid them, continue to be amazed by Escher’s work.
20 blocks on 3 combined sheets. 3,895mm x 192mm.

5. M.C. Escher- Optical Illusions
– As his ideas grew Escher, very shortly after his
discovery of Tessellations, proved himself equally
talented when it came to optical illusions.
– Specifically, impossible structures. Drawn from his
earlier work, studying the architecture of Italy, Escher
begun manipulating the finer lines that came with
lithograph printing.
– With this he created optical illusions, impossible
structures that played with gravity, pillar placement
and perspective.
– Many of these ideas being inspired by fellow
artist Oscar Reutersvärd.
– However Escher was the sole inventor of the
groundbreaking ‘Impossible cube’. First seen as a
mere fine detail in a large scale print.

6. Belvedere

7. Louise Bourgeois – Origins and Influences
– Paris born Louise Bourgeois' work I feel is best described as visual poetry;
as described by Frances Morris she was “an artist who rarely makes work
to order and never makes work to please.”
– - With a life that spanned from 1911-2010, when she sadly died at age 98;
Louise Bourgeois survived both world wars, bore witness to the splitting of
the atom, the moon landing, the unravelling of DNA and the revolution of
the internet.
– During this time Bourgeois amassed a great deal of personal psychological
traumas that had a huge impact on her work. However it also granted her
with a great deal of wisdom drawn from the evolution of the objective
historical and social conditions and the intellectual climates she saw.
– Bourgeois' work, whilst abstract did not obey any of the conventions of the
emerging Abstract Expressionism of the time . Bourgeois instead focused
solely on expressing and almost working through her own emotions,
thoughts and traumas.
– Despite all the seriousness, Bourgeois managed to maintain a aura of
humour and dare I say cheekiness, through a great deal of her work.

8. Louise Bourgeois- Totems
– Whilst Bourgeois' first pieces of independently created work were the
modest paintings from before, she very quickly shifted into the primary
medium of sculpture, manipulating a vast array of mediums.
– This shift was born from a desire to amplify the intensity and reality of
her work. She felt that it allowed for a far more engaged process of
creating as well as a far more intense experience and understanding
for the viewer.
– Her earliest sculptures being part of a series called ‘Personages’ and
once again leaning more towards abstract than figurative. These
sculptures were created on Bourgeois' rooftop, the landscape of
skyscrapers most likely being a huge part of the sculptures'
architectural form.
– Yet again, if more subtly, expressing a merge of humanoid figures and
architecture.
– Bourgeois crafted several similar ‘totem’ like structures, albeit made
from a variety of materials in the following years,, including fabrics, the
start of her transition into later, more biological work.

9. Louise Bourgeois- Organic Forms
– The next major phase in Bourgeois' work was organic and humanoid
forms, through which she explored and expressed many themes;
superlative emotions, phycology and psychological illnesses, sex and sexual
freedom.
– Bourgeois' organic work is best split into three categories;
• Complete/almost complete humanoid figures
• Disembodied limbs, organs, etc.
• Particularly phallic smaller sculptures
– Most commonly made of marble, cast bronze or fabric, Bourgeois’
humanoid figures are often missing limbs or heads and carry some of the
darker ideas of mental illness and her own personal traumas.
– Usually made from marble or cast bronze Bourgeois’ disembodied limbs
and organs sculptures commonly symbolized the dramatic contrasts in the
human form as well as being deliberately ambiguous and a nod to famous
phycologist Sigmund Freud.
– Far less common were Bourgeois’ phallic sculptures that whilst
occasionally representing further looks into psychoanalysis, usually were
rooted more in the artist’s personal sense of humor and views on gender
roles.

10. Louise Bourgeois- Arch of Hysteria
– Of particular interest to me and a recurring piece of imagery in Bourgeois' organic and
more humanoid work are her various Arches of Hysteria.
– With varying mediums and contexts, ‘Arch of Hysteria’ is one of Bourgeois' most
recurring imagery.
– The three shown are the most finished and popular examples of this trend in her work.
– The first (Cell) Arch of Hysteria, made in 1992-3 from steel, bronze and cast iron is part of
a larger installation. This piece refers to the work of neurologist Jean-Martin Charcot and
his research into the causes of hysteria. Bourgeois' creation shows not only appreciation
for the theories but also opposition of Charcot’s somewhat sexist ideals with the use of a
masculine figure. It revolves around the ideas of stress and happiness, tension and
release.
– The next Arch of Hysteria, made in 1993 from bronze and polished patina, is far more
dynamic. Yet again in the form of a man, if a obviously more flexible one. This piece has
particular geometric appeal due to the circular form of the pose. This Arch is supposed to
represent balance and control.
– The final Arch, made in 2000 from pink fabric has the least context given by the artist.
However the change to a softer medium, female form and use of overstuffing to create
tension givers it a far more personal feeling than the other two.