Take, for instance, his famous work, Waterfall.
It is really an interesting piece, a house, apparently, with its own stream and waterfall. Except, the waterfall, if you trace it out, feeds ... the waterfall. An impossibility.
Kind of like "We demand $15/hour minimum wage!" Oh? Where is that money coming from? Well, it will come from ... your $15/hour income. Easy! See?
Consider Escher's Convex and Concave.
An entire village, built with real efficiency, where the whole community can be close and friendly and ... wait ... hang on a minute, nope, that's not working. You can't get there from here.
Wrong angles, lamps hanging from stairs, windows where they couldn't be, ladders to walls that are floors, and all the while a couple of monsters getting ready to devour everyone.
Like the ACA where everyone is insured but very few can afford to use it or the ever-popular "Tolerance!" that doesn't tolerate and "No Judgment!" that is so judgmental or the "reality is determined by how you feel" except when "how you feel" violates "our reality".
Escher's fascinating work seems to me an illustration of our society today. It is largely built with beautiful lines, appealing images, warm feelings, but whatever you do, don't follow it to its logical conclusion. You'll find yourself up against logic and reason and reality that just won't let you go where you thought you were headed.
Apparently Escher was a prophet. Or it's just that God was right when He said, in essence, that sin rots the brain. We appear to be living in Escher's world.
3 comments:
You and Steve Taylor.
Oh, yeah, him. I loved his music. Wonder what he's doing today?
No idea, but also loved his music. At one point he was making movies.
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