News Release
March 2003
(Bethlehem, Pennsylvania)— Dr. Doris Schattschneider,
professor emerita of mathematics at Moravian College, will present
a slide/lecture,
Visions of Symmetry: Mathematics and the Art of M. C. Escher, on Monday,
April 7, at 7:00 p.m. in Prosser Auditorium. Her lecture is part of
the Monday Night Speaker Series, sponsored by the Moravian College
Alumni Association. The lecture is open to the public and admission
is free.
Schattschneider will demonstrate how the imagery
in M. C. Escher's graphic works not only makes obvious use of geometry,
but often provides
visual metaphors for abstract mathematical concepts. The slide lecture
will examine mathematical concepts implicit in several of Escher's
works; outline the transformation geometry that governs his interlocking
figures, and reveals how this "math anxious" artist actually
did pioneering mathematical research in order to accomplish his artistic
goals.
Schattschneider received an M.A. and Ph.D. in mathematics from Yale
University and has recently retired as professor of mathematics at
Moravian College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, where she taught for 34
years. Her dual interest in geometry and art led naturally to the study
of tiling problems and the work of the Dutch artist M.C. Escher. She
has several published articles on Escher's works, both in mathematical
journals and in the popular magazine Scientific American. She is co-author
of a book and collection of geometry models, M. C. Escher Kaleidocycles,
Pomegranate Art Books, 1987, and author of the book, Visions of Symmetry:
Notebooks, Periodic Drawings and Related Work of M. C. Escher, W. H.
Freeman, 1990, which received research support from the National Endowment
for the Humanities. She is primary editor of the just-published book
with CD Rom, M.C. Escher's Legacy: A Centennial Celebration, which
contains 40 contributions from contemporary artists and others whose
work has been deeply influenced by Escher. This book grew out of the
international Escher centennial congress in 1998 held in Rome and Ravello,
co-organized by Doris Schattschneider and Michele Emmer. Call 601-625-7880
for information.
