Our main reason for visiting the Kunstmuseum was to see the Maurits Cornelius Escher exhibition: Escher - Other World, 18th February to 10th September 2023, celebrating the influential Dutch artist's work 125 years since the year he was born. We were very impressed with the size of the exhibition, as well as the expanse of the beautiful Art Deco environment.
The exhibition was split into two halves, 'Night and Day' with the main larger daylight flooded galleries and smaller unlit side rooms displaying all his famous prints; featuring optical illusions, tessellations, impossible architecture, reflections and images of the natural world. What struck us was not only how immensely talented this artist was, but also how prolific - there was so much of his mesmerising graphic work to see, as well as a few 3-D carvings and a couple of his finely cut woodblocks. The skill Escher developed as a wood carver and the accuracy he achieved was difficult to comprehend, considering the unforgiving nature of this form of relief printing. Each hairline cut is perfectly executed, with absolutely no visible imperfections, even on very close scrutiny. It is also hard to believe that if it wasn't for the British magazine The Studio and American magazines, Time and Life, publishing articles in 1951, this incredibly talented and influential artist's work would have never been discovered.
We also contemplated the time it must have taken Escher to produce these incredibly complex, mathematical and highly detailed woodcut prints, lithographs and mezzotints. We learnt that he printed every one of his artworks himself, continuing in old age to reprint his favourite blocks, when he was no longer well enough to produce new ones. It was so obvious how passionate and driven he was, like all true artists are. We spent our time looking closely at each print, reading the descriptions and immersing ourselves in the life of this highly talented man. The careful curation of this exhibition enabled us to understand the influence of the places he visited such as Spain, Italy, and Corsica and the landscapes he loved, with his work grouped together in date order. We also gained insight into his family background, education and his relationship with his children and Swiss wife Jetta Umiker.
The exhibition was busy but not crowded, giving us the space to stand back to admire, and then step in to analyse the impossible detail of his technique, easily losing a couple of hours in Escher's 'other world' before sitting down for a coffee in the spacious, light, and airy open plan cafe with a triple height ceiling, on the ground floor, before tackling the rest of the floors and many other galleries. Like all the other cafés and restaurants we experienced in the Netherlands, the lunch menu was varied, with a range of healthy vegetable based meals, just the sort of food we like, generous portions and great coffee too, generally much better than the lunches we had in Parisian galleries we visited last summer! We enjoyed the relaxed ambience and the comfortable environment very much, appreciating the rest and the chance to discuss the quality of the Escher exhibition we had just viewed.
Seeing Escher's prints, originally in books when we were students and then later online, does not compare with viewing them in person, so if you want an interesting weekend away, visit The Hague and this wonderful exhibition at Kunstmuseum, just a short tram or bus ride away from the central station, and if you choose a sunny day, unlike us, you may have time to squeeze in a trip to the beach too!
All the images shown are our own photographs taken of M.C Escher's original prints on our visit to this highly recommended exhibition. I hope you find these images as mesmerising and inspirational as us. M C Escher was a truly talented and driven man who dedicated his whole life to the pursuit of his art and passion, leaving a remarkable legacy for the whole world to enjoy. We found the quantity and quality of his work almost overwhelming and was so pleased that his life and work was being celebrated through this wonderful exhibition.
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