Ascending and Descending, lithograph, 1960.
“The endless staircase, that is the main motif of this imagery, was taken from an article by L.S. Penrose in the February 1958 issue of the British Journal of Psychology. A rectangular courtyard is bordered by a building that has an endless staircase as a roof covering. The inhabitants of this housing complex may well be monks, members of an unknown sect. It may be their ritual duty to climb this staircase for a few hours every day. When they are tired, they are apparently allowed to turn around and descend instead of climbing. But both directions, although meaningful, are equally restless. Two recalcitrant individuals refuse for the time being to participate in this exercise. They think what they want about it, but perhaps sooner or later they will see their error.” ~ M.C. Escher, Grafiek en Tekeningen.