Waterfall, lithograph, 1961.

“In the same British Journal of Psychology article that inspired Ascending and Descending, R. Penrose published the perspective drawing of a triangle. A copy of which is reproduced here. It is composed of square beams placed at right angles to each other. If we follow all the parts of this construction one by one, no error can be discovered. Yet it is an impossible construct, because there are sudden changes in the interpretation of the distance between our eye and our object. The impossible triangle is applied three times. Falling water sets a mill wheel in motion and then flows slowly in a zigzag manner down a sloping chute between two towers to the point where the waterfall begins again. The miller has to add a bucket of water every now and then to eliminate losses due to evaporation. The two towers are the same height and yet the right one is one floor lower than the left.” ~ M.C. Escher, Grafiek en Tekeningen.

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