''Three Spheres II'' is a

lithograph Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the miscibility, immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by ...

print by the Dutch artist

M. C. Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (; ; 17 June 1898 – 27 March 1972) was a Dutch graphic artist who made woodcuts, lithography, lithographs, and mezzotints, many of which were Mathematics and art, inspired by mathematics. Despite wide popular int ...

first printed in April 1946. As the title implies, it depicts three

sphere A sphere (from Ancient Greek, Greek , ) is a surface (mathematics), surface analogous to the circle, a curve. In solid geometry, a sphere is the Locus (mathematics), set of points that are all at the same distance from a given point in three ...

s resting on a flat surface. The sphere on the left is transparent (see ball lens) with a

photorealistic Photorealism is a genre of art that encompasses painting, drawing and other graphic media, in which an artist studies a photograph and then attempts to reproduce the image as realistically as possible in another medium. Although the term can b ...

depiction of the

refracted In physics, refraction is the redirection of a wave as it passes from one medium to another. The redirection can be caused by the wave's change in speed or by a change in the medium. Refraction of light is the most commonly observed phenome ...

light cast through it towards the viewer and onto the flat surface. The sphere in the center is reflective. Its reflection is a

self-replicating Self-replication is any behavior of a dynamical system that yields construction of an identical or similar copy of itself. Cell (biology), Biological cells, given suitable environments, reproduce by cell division. During cell division, DNA repli ...

image of Escher in his studio drawing the three spheres. In the reflection one can clearly see the image of the three spheres on the paper Escher is drawing on: in the center sphere of that image, one can vaguely make out the reflection of Escher's studio, which is depicted in the main image. This process is implied to be infinite,

recursive Recursion occurs when the definition of a concept or process depends on a simpler or previous version of itself. Recursion is used in a variety of disciplines ranging from linguistics to logic. The most common application of recursion is in m ...

. The sphere on the right is opaque and diffuse, i.e. neither specularly reflective nor transparent. The painting is in the Escher Museum in The Hague.

Sources

*Locher, J. L. (2000). ''The Magic of M. C. Escher''.

Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Abrams, formerly Harry N. Abrams, Inc. (HNA), is an American publisher of art and illustrated books, children's books, and stationery. The enterprise is a subsidiary of the French publisher Média-Participations. Run by president and CEO Mary ...

. {{printmaking-stub Works by M. C. Escher 1946 paintings Mirrors in art

See also

Sources