Nick Lesnak

Art Analysis 1

2/2/2017

Belvedere

The Belvedere by M.C Escher is a complex and interesting piece of art work. The subject

of the work is an impossible building and individual people standing around or sitting on the

building to help the artist to portray a sense of normality with the piece. It was referred to as the

Phantom House until the final print was no longer ghostly enough for the titled so it was then

changed (Ernst, pg. 90). Though Belvedere was no longer haunting to the viewer, it continues to

be a mysterious piece of art that appeals to artist and mathematicians. This pieces was created by

M.C. Escher, who was a Dutch artist that was born in 1898. He is known for many impossible

worlds and pieces of art having a relation to math. His pieces were mainly mathematical

woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints. His concentration was on subtle detail and manipulation

of the viewer. He was an artist that spent his early years traveling and portraying landscapes and

sketching buildings until he unconsciously became obsessed with mathematical structure.

Eschers life time works are well-known and studied by many, though he was not recognized for

the work until late in his life. The Belvedere was printed in 1958 on lithograph paper and is 18.2

in x 11.6 in.

The work is made to make the human eye believe something that cannot be possible. The

subtlety of the unrealistic detail is incredible. The building consists of 3 stories that is supported

by pillars. Each layer of the structure consists of its own mind-blowing emphasis on the

impossible. The piece contains openings on the second and third story of the structure while
having the bottom level closed off to look like a prison of some sort. The openings on the top

two levels are crucial for the balance of the piece and for the viewers perception of the

individuals on the open balcony portion of the piece. There are also ladders and stairs that are

present to allow the people to roam about the levels of the building. These aspects are an

important contributing factor to the unrealistic nature of the work. The background of the image

seems to be mountainous and the people portrayed in the work are in strange attire and are very

important to the image for a variety of reasons. One reason being that it brings balance to the

work and gives Escher the ability to emphasis the crucial aspects of the work. The structure is

made to be impossible because the viewer can see different levels of the building to be going in

different directions. This is made clear to the viewers because of the figures placed on the edges

of the top two levels are looking off in the distance in two completely different directions. The

pillars in the image are overlapping each other, creating a structure that could not possibly exist.

The ladder also makes the image more unrealistic because as the viewer looks closely at the

image, the ladder creates a sense of wonderment with how it is functional. At first glance, the

ladder seems completely functional, but when examining the object, it is clear that the bottom of

the ladder begins at a point to where it could not end rationally. There is also a person holding a

crazy crate at the bottom of the image. A crazy crate is an object from Eschers creativity

that forms two different realities with one object. The crate is yet another aspect that could never

exist. This image, Belvedere, could surprise and confuse the most observant viewer.

The impossible aspects that cannot be constructed is made using perspective. The use of

multiple vanishing points is one of the factors that creates the impossible world that Esher had

created. The pillars, ladders, and levels of the building are all two-dimensional objects, made to

be three dimensional using perspective. Esher created this perspective with line, direction, and
substance. At first glance, the work seems to be a normal structure but this is a trick using

perspective. All the contributing aspects of the piece give such perspective. The line of the image

gives direction for the perspective, and the shapes give the structure more impossibility. The use

of light in the image is also important because the contrast between white and black provides

emphasis on the structure and the individual people in the work. The black and white colors add

a sense of dimension, also. The space of the image is completely filled with a texturally

appealing background. The mountainous landscape provides a convincing realization on the

people overlooking the view on the open balconies. The entire piece is given then texture. There

is a certain balance in the image even though the impossible world should not be balanced. When

observing the piece, a sense of normality is given, though it is surely taken away with the

realization of the abnormality of this Escher work.

This work provides a plethora of feelings and thoughts for the viewers. It is a piece that

keeps the mind thinking when observing it. The contrast or lack of colors that Escher provided

seems to be mysterious and dark while the focus is drawn to the main structure. The darkness

provides another feeling that is best described as sadness. The dim sky along with the dim

background is the reasoning for that. The use of perspective is tricky to the viewers, so when

closely examined, it is confusing and I believe that was Eschers goal. The only purpose behind

the work would be to provide a hoax making the viewer believe one thing, while actually having

it be another. This image itself is extremely intriguing and keeps the viewers attention as there is

plenty to see.

In conclusion, Escher provided an intriguing work of art with the Belvedere. The sheer

majority of perspective and mystery would make the work enjoyable to anyone. The trickery
provided makes it incredible in its own right. This images significance to perspective, art and

mathematics in uncanny.
 Works Cited

Ernst, Bruno. The Magic Mirror of M.C. Escher. Koln: Taschen, 2015. Print.