Artist: Sandro Del-Prete


 

An acquaintance of mine first drew my attention to the pictures of M.C. Escher in 1979. It was profoundly moving for me to discover that I was not the only one to have such "crazy" ideas in my head with the ability to express them on paper.

Impossible Chess Set (Das gekrümmte Schachbrett) (pencil drawing, 1975)

Window Gazing (Die Fenstergucker) (pencil drawing, 1973)

I was certain that Escher and I were kindred spirits, for our minds seemed to operate and analyze in very similar ways. I was therefore able to understand very well what Escher must have felt when he began to deconstruct everyday phenomena, giving artistic expression to newly perceived laws and achieving astonishing effects with unusual combinations translated onto paper in ever more novel ways.

There is one very particular feature that is apparent in both Escher's pictures and mine. For me, the idea behind the picture is the most important factor: the idea gives the picture its meaning.

Gateway to the 4th Dimension (Säulentor zur vierten Dimension) (pencil drawing, 1981)

Spiral Staircase to Belvedere II (pencil drawing, 1966)

There are differences between us, however: I try to create aesthetically beautiful pictures with attractive, and sometimes humorous, characters. The viewer will find very little mathematical precision in my pictures, something that is always present in Escher's work.

        
       | Homage to Escher |
                                       
                                  | gallery entrance |

                            | past exhibitions |

                                           | Leonardo On-Line |