The Dutch artist Maurits Cornelis Escher was born on June the 17th, 1898 in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands. Trained as a graphic artist, Escher became well known for his drawings of scenes that seem to play visual logic against realistic impossibility.

Escher was the youngest of three sons born to George Arnold Escher and Sarah Gleichman Escher. As a youth, Escher was encouraged by his father, a civil engineer, to learn carpentry and other craft skills. He attended elementary and secondary school in Arnhem and in the seaside town of Zandvoort, a place that was selected for the benefit of his poor health. Failing his final exam, Escher never officially graduated from secondary school.

Nevertheless, in 1918, Escher began architectural studies at the Higher Technology School in Delft. Later he moved to Haarlem to study at the School for Architecture and Decorative Arts. But by 1919 Escher had discovered that his real...