Maurits Cornelis Escher was a Dutch artist, known for his woodcuts, wood engravings and lithographs, in which he often played with mathematical principles. He signed his work with MCE.
His engravings often depict impossible constructions, studies of infinity and interlocking geometric patterns (surface divisions) that gradually change into completely different forms. Some of the well-known scenes he drew were designed around impossible objects such as the Penrose staircase. It was not until the 1950s that he gained wider recognition as an artist, especially in the US. Crystallographers and mathematicians discovered symmetries and themes from their fields in his work. Escher's graphic work has been used in scientific (learning) books since 1960.
