Maurits Cornelis Escher (Dutch, 1898-1972)

Waterfall, 1961, Lithograph

This is an example of Escher's preoccupation with the nature of drawing and the play between two and three dimensions. At first what we see seems perfectly logical. The water flows down the ramp and into the wheel. A second look forces us to acknowledge the fact that this image is not possible. Not only does water not flow up, but there is not place on this planet that it could take this path.

Escher took the inspiration for this piece from something known as Penrose's tribar (seen below), and decided that the moving water would make the illusion even more convincing.

Loaned by Robert and Katherine Aldrich

Penrose's Tribar