''Belvedere'' is a
lithograph print by the
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
artist
M. C. Escher, first printed in May 1958. It shows a plausible-looking
belvedere building that is an
impossible object
An impossible object (also known as an impossible figure or an undecidable figure) is a type of optical illusion that consists of a two- dimensional figure which is instantly and naturally understood as representing a projection of a three-d ...
, modelled after an
impossible cube.
Imagery
In this lithograph, Escher uses two-dimensional images to depict objects free of the confines of the three-dimensional world. The image is of a rectangular, three-story building. The upper two floors are open at the sides, with the top floor and roof supported by pillars. From the viewer's perspective, all the pillars on the middle floor are the same size at both the front and back, but the pillars at the back are set higher. The viewer also sees by the corners of the top floor that it is at a different angle than the rest of the structure. All these elements make it possible for all the pillars on the middle floor to stand at right angles, yet the pillars at the front support the back side of the top floor while the pillars at the back support the front side. This
paradox
A paradox is a logically self-contradictory statement or a statement that runs contrary to one's expectation. It is a statement that, despite apparently valid reasoning from true premises, leads to a seemingly self-contradictory or a logically u ...
also allows a ladder to extend from the inside of the middle floor to the outside of the top floor.
There is a man seated at the foot of the building holding an
impossible cube. He appears to be constructing it from a diagram of a
Necker cube
The Necker cube is an optical illusion that was first published as a Rhomboid in 1832 by Swiss crystallographer Louis Albert Necker. It is a simple wire-frame, two dimensional drawing of a cube with no visual cues as to its orientation, so it ...
at his feet, with the intersecting lines circled. The window next to him is closed with an iron grille that is geometrically valid, but practically impossible to assemble.
Influences
The woman about to climb the steps of the building is modeled after a figure from the right-hand panel of
Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch (, ; born Jheronimus van Aken ; – 9 August 1516) was a Dutch/ Netherlandish painter from Brabant. He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on o ...
's 1500 triptych ''
The Garden of Earthly Delights
''The Garden of Earthly Delights'' is the modern title given to a triptych oil painting on oak panel painted by the Early Netherlandish master Hieronymus Bosch, between 1490 and 1510, when Bosch was between 40 and 60 years old. It has b ...
''. This panel is individually titled ''Hell''; a portion of it was recreated by Escher as a lithograph in 1935.
The ridge in the background is part of the
Morrone Mountains in
Abruzzo, that Escher had visited several times when living in Italy during the 1920s and 1930s.
Legacy
In 2012, Prof. Gershon Elber of Israel's
Technion University, using specially designed CAD software and a 3D printer, created a 3D model of Belvedere and other impossible Escher structures, viewable only from one angle.
Technion University video of Belvedere model
/ref>
References
Sources
* Locher, J. L. (2000). ''The Magic of M. C. Escher''. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. .
{{M. C. Escher
1958 prints
Impossible objects
Works by M. C. Escher