Drawing and Geometric Constructions of Polyhedra in the Art of Escher

The contribution focuses on Escher’s graphic production which includes images of polyhedra or complex geometric bodies generated by the combination of platonic solids and inspired by crystals. The Dutch artist was attracted by the sense of balance and perfection of the Platonic solids and the polyhedra derived from them. This article reviews, through conceptual graphic reworking, the geometric genesis of the compositional structure of some solids that recur in Escher’s works. The drawing allows to better understand the aggregation rules and the rigorous construction on which the sense of harmony of these solids depends. Through a graphic-geometric rereading, the authors intend to guide the observer towards a clearer interpretation of Escher’s imaginary configurations based on polyhedra. They therefore elaborate images of these solids to provide an immediate and visually effective reading of relationships and geometric correspondences. Finally, they show how extreme formal complexity equates to great simplicity in the generative matrix.