M.C. Escher: The Discovery of the South and Love (1922–1924)

In April 1922, the 23-year-old Escher left the flat Dutch landscape behind. He had just completed his studies in Haarlem and felt an enormous urge to discover the world. These two years, from 1922 to 1924, would become the most important years of his life. Not only did he find his artistic voice here, but he also found the love of his life.

The Lure of Italy (Spring 1922)

Together with two friends, Escher set off by train to the south. On an earlier trip with his parents in 1921, he had already been introduced to Florence. Although he was impressed by the classical art of the Renaissance, it was above all the landscape of Tuscany that captivated him. His two friends, Jan and Bas, returned to the Netherlands after only two weeks; Escher remained in Italy. He toured Italy for about two months, visiting Siena, Perugia, Assisi, Ravenna, Venice, Padua, and Milan, among others. Everywhere there was something to see, sketch, and visit.
Back in the Netherlands, he showed his work to his teachers De Mesquita and Vercruysen, who were convinced that their pupil had taken an enthusiastic step forward in printmaking. Meanwhile, it was clear that he did not want to stay in the Netherlands for long; Italy and the South clearly beckoned him.

The Miracle of the Alhambra (Autumn 1922)

In September 1922, Escher decided to take a trip to Spain. He traveled by boat to Malaga and from there to Tarragona. Then by train to Barcelona, ​​and after about six days, his destination was Madrid. Via Toledo, he eventually arrived in Granada. In the Alhambra, Escher saw the Moorish mosaics for the first time. The walls were covered with tiles in geometric patterns that fit together perfectly. There was no empty space between the tiles. The Moors were forbidden by their faith from depicting people or animals, so they used abstract forms such as stars and diamonds. This was the seed from which a number of his later masterpieces would grow.

The Return to Italy and Love (1923)

After his Spanish adventure, Escher returned to Genoa, Italy, via Cadiz, in late 1922, only to end up in Siena again. He was now a more experienced artist. He worked hard on woodcuts of the Italian cities, but in March of that year, something happened that had nothing to do with art.
In the boarding house where he was staying, he met a young Swiss woman named Giulietta (Jetta) Umiker. Her family also lived in the boarding house because her father managed a textile factory there. Mauk, who was normally quite shy and reserved, fell in love instantly.
However, he was so insecure that he did not dare to express his feelings until months later. He drew her portrait and tried to impress her with his art. In the summer of 1923, just before her family was to return to Switzerland, he confessed his love to her during a walk. To his great happiness, Jetta felt the same way.

Letter to Jan: “The girl I told you about a few days ago has left for Switzerland with her parents. She exerted an influence on me similar to that of an electromagnet on a flimsy piece of cast iron […] And although I had firmly resolved to keep my feelings regarding her loveliness secret, her influence eventually became so powerful that on the last day before her departure, the cast iron lost its last shred of resistance….”

The struggle for the future (Winter 1923–1924)

The engagement to Jetta, however, brought challenges with it. Escher was a budding artist and earned hardly any money. His father, the engineer, was greatly worried and urged Maurits to seek a “real” job to support the future family. But Maurits was determined to remain an artist. In the winter of 1923 and the spring of 1924, with the help of his father, he prepared for his first exhibition in the Netherlands. This joint exhibition was held at the De Zonnebloem art gallery in The Hague. Maurits himself stayed in Siena to recuperate.
His work from this period (1923-1924) shows an enormous leap in quality. He created woodcuts such as Saint Francis and beautiful landscapes of the coast near Amalfi. He began to play with light and shadow in a way that was almost magical. He carved the smallest details out of the hard wood: the reflection of the water, the texture of the rocks, and the distant horizon.

The Marriage and a New Beginning (June 1924)

In June 1924, the time had finally come. After a period of hard work and writing many letters to his fiancée in Switzerland, Maurits and Jetta married on June 12, 1924, in Viareggio, Italy. The honeymoon took them via Genoa to Annecy. Eventually, the young couple traveled via Paris to Brussels to visit family. In mid-July, they also paid a visit to family in the Netherlands.
The young couple decided to settle permanently in Italy. After a period in Siena, they found a house in Rome, on a hill overlooking the city. This marks the end of Escher’s “searching” years. By the end of 1924, he was no longer the uncertain student from Haarlem. He was a married man, a recognized printmaker, and he had found the two most important ingredients for his art: the dramatic Italian perspective and the mathematical puzzle of Spanish tessellation.

More coming soon as we are writting more texts…