Escher - Angels & Devils

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Having watched a well known US TV show that was recently aired, the reference to Escher and one of his works was mentioned.

So I went looking for an online copy that I could get a look at.

In the TV show it briefly shows the work in its proper orientation, the online version I looked at was actually upside down.

What I did notice was that when I saw the TV version in its proper orientation, the first image I saw was a Black Devil but the online version that was upside down I saw a White Angel.

This picture is meant to give you an insight into your way of thinking but given that I was presented two versions of the same works but each one rotated by 180° made me think that theirs a flaw in the concept.

I have been searching for an online reference to any meaning to this but all I find are Universities who mention the works but never explain what it means, they all appear to focus on the geometric and mathematical aspect of the drawing but not what the artist was trying to illustrate.

Why? Well if it is all down to orientation and how the work is displayed to the viewer, then the outcome can be affected by this and any meaning derived from this is void.

What do you think?

[scragar]

Escher's works are almost exclusively optical illusions, so for there to be 2 images, only one of which you can see at a given time appears to be very fitting with his art style.

I found 2 things under the search term "Escher angel", one being a 2D picture where the orientation gives two different effects, the second, however, was a rather intresting sphere. For either one I find it intresting that, if you were to remove either the angel's or the devils the shapes would become somewhat meaningless, without angels the devils would just be formless black blobs, the same thing happening to the angels if there devils are to be removed.

All of his artwork appears to raise the question of how far we can trust our senses and perception.

I wish I could say more here, but every time I attempt to put it into works it reads like a blind monkey mashing the keyboard with an over-zealous autocorrect spellcheck in place(in that it makes no sense when I read it back)...

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This is the works I am referring to... http://www.hnorthrop.com/escher.html
(Take note that the image is UP-SIDE DOWN)

If you search for the full term "Escher Angels & Devils" you will find a list of sites and also... This THREAD! such is the power of "the G" engine.