MC Escher, the wizard of weirdness who inspired Pink Floyd — and me

Waldemar Januszczak | Waldemar.tv | 25th June 2026

How do we classify Escher’s work? He started out with architectural and townscape drawings until, in 1936, he visited the Alhambra. That changed everything, starting a life-long interest in tessellated patterns and visual parados. Despite his popularity the fine art world remained indifferent, seeing his work as more mathematical than lyrical. Maybe so, but he had his own way of seeing – “Escher didn’t just think outside the envelope, he could not accept the existence of envelopes”.