M. C. Escher: The Signature of Symmetry

Symmetry is wrapped in the magic of perfection. The recognition of pattern is fundamental to learning, and some of our earliest joys come from hearing familiar sounds and recognizing objects. The Dutch artist M. C. Escher (1898 – 1972) had an extraordinary ability to discover complex patterns in seemingly random or, as he put it, ‘chaotic’ objects. By analyzing and manipulating these patterns into recognizable shapes, this printmaker filled the pages of his notebooks with geometric designs which evolved into familiar forms, primarily creatures, but also buildings, beehives, and even flying envelopes. Combining designs such as these within complex patterns often created subtle and startling connections. Escher was instinctively attracted to visualizing the complex concepts of cyclicality and infinity, and he went so far as the name a series of prints in which creatures spiral towards an endless vortex ‘The Path of Life.’ In following these paths Escher’s art explores some of the most challenging philosophical questions through pictures that challenge our perception and cognition.

Mamoun Sakkal has discovered some of Escher’s secrets by following a surprising and serendipitous path. Sakkal is an acknowledged expert and artistic calligrapher of the Arabic language. Remembering that it was the Arabic and Moorish tile designs of the Alhambra Palace that inspired Escher’s explorations of symmetry in the 1930’s, I asked Sakkal if he would consider creating an aesthetically pleasing interpretation of M. C. Escher’s name as it might appear in Arabic Script. This portfolio is the extraordinary result of this challenging undertaking.

Escher wrote that his ‘creatures were quite stubborn about the way they should be drawn,’ and it seems this was also true of alphabets as Sakkal designed interpretations of Escher’s name in contemporary Arabic calligraphy. These letter-forms lend themselves to nuanced and picturesque designs in which the shape of the letters can influence the meaning of the word, much as the shape of an Asian ideogram often reflects or shades its meaning.

Sakkal’s calligraphy created patterns with astounding symmetries and startling similarities to many of Escher’s own woodcuts and lithographs. How magical it is that the sounds of Escher’s signature in the language of a culture in which he found rich inspiration would reflect similar symmetry – and associations – as the artist’s prints! Sakkal’s designs create complex structured patterns which are reminiscent of Escher’s woodcuts such as ‘Smaller and Smaller,’ ‘Circle Limit,’ ‘Square Limit,’ ‘Development,’ and many others.

Escher was not fond of florid interpretations of his work, and yet his creations convey a magnetic power that continues to attract and inspire viewers of all ages and fields of study. Now, through Mamoun Sakkal’s remarkable craft and vision we can explore anew the extraordinary intersection of pattern and meaning that flows through Escher’s work and mysteriously appears here through the symmetry of his signature.

Jeffrey Price

September 2005
Artists’ Market
www.escher.info