Stars (M. C. Escher)

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Stars

M. C. Escher, 1948

wood engraving, 32 × 26 cm

Stars is a wood engraving print by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher which was first printed in October 1948.

It depicts a bevelled wireframe of 3 compound octahedra floating in space with two chameleons contained within. Numerous other polyhedra, including two icosahedra, float in the background. One of the lesser stars in the lower right corner of this print is a solid octahedron 3-compound. Two stella octangula appear, one solid compound in the lower left and one bevelled wireframe in the upper right. A cuboctahedron appears in the lower left. The C₃ compound of two cubes appears twice: in the lower left as a bevelled wireframe and in the lower center as a solid. A small rhombicuboctahedron appears in the middle right. A deltoidal icositetrahedron appears in the middle right. A small triakis octahedron appears in the middle right. A pentagonal dipyramid appears in the lower left. A cube-octahedron compound appears in the upper left. A 4-trapezohedron (deltohedron) appears in the upper left. An elongated square dipyramid (having a central ribbon composed of rectangles instead of squares) appears in the top center. A rhombic dodecahedron appears in the upper right. Two dodecahedra also appear.

The chameleon on the left sticks out his tongue, perhaps in commentary.

[edit] See also

• Polyhedron
• Printmaking
• Paradox
• Tessellation

[edit] External links

• Escher, M. C. "Stars." Wood engraving. 1948.
• Escher polyhedra George Hart discusses Escher's use of polyhedra in "Stars" and other prints.

[edit] Sources

• Locher, J.L. (2000). The Magic of M. C. Escher. Harry N. Abrams, Inc. ISBN 0-8109-6720-0.