The Mathematical art of M. C. Escher

Maurits Cornelis Escher, who was born in Leeuwarden, Holland in 1898, created unique and fascinating works of art that explore and exhibit a wide range of mathematical ideas. While he was still in school his family planned for him to follow his father's career of architecture, but poor grades and an aptitude for drawing and design eventually led him to a career in the graphic arts. Among his greatest admirers were mathematicians, who recognized in his …

…scale of the grid grows continuously in a clockwise direction. And note especially what this trick entails: A hole in the middle. This is known as a singularity, a place where the fabric of the space no longer holds together. There is just no way to knit this bizarre space into a seamless whole, and Escher, rather than try to obscure it in some way, has put his trademark initials in the centre of it.