zoom_in Click to enlarge

Eight Heads

▲ ▼

description Eight Heads Overview

Eight Heads is a 1922 woodcut by M.C. Escher and an early study of regular division of the plane, the organization of a surface into repeating interlocking forms. The image places eight human heads in a circular arrangement, with the profiles joined as four distinct pairs. It is relevant to viewers tracing Escher's development from figurative imagery toward the geometric and spatial systems that became central to his later work.

help Eight Heads FAQ

What is depicted in M.C. Escher's Eight Heads?

The 1922 woodcut places eight human heads in a circular arrangement. The profiles are joined into four distinct pairs, creating a study in repeated forms and visual organization.

Why is Eight Heads important in Escher's development as an artist?

Eight Heads is an early study of regular division of the plane, a principle that later became central to Escher's art. It shows him exploring how repeated forms can interlock across a surface.

Is Eight Heads already a tessellation like Escher's later prints?

It is an early plane-division study rather than one of Escher's fully developed later tessellations. The 1922 woodcut nevertheless establishes the repeated human-form structure that he would investigate more extensively.

What medium did Escher use for Eight Heads?

Eight Heads is a woodcut, meaning the image was carved into a woodblock and printed from that surface. The work dates from 1922, before Escher's most famous mathematically complex tessellations.

swap_horiz

Looking for Eight Heads alternatives? Compare top competitors ranked & scored

arrow_forward