5
“‘111”’
”11111”
THE ‘DELVEDERE’BY ESCHER:
LE
‘6ELVEDERE’D’ESCHER:
A
MODEST HYPOTHESIS
UNE
MODESTE
HYPOTHESE
Michele Emme
DABAC
Uni e si a della Tuscia
01
100
Vi e bo, ITALIA
F ench ansla ion:
T aduc ion anpise
Jean-Luc
Raymond
1.
HISTORY
In 1961 Esche edi ed a book en i ely dedica ed
o
his g aphic wo k.
He himsel w o e he in oduc ion and a small desc ip ion o all he
ep oduc ions o he olume.
A
e ised and expanded e sion o he
book was published in 1967
[I].
He made a classi ica ion
o
his wo ks by subjec . The las sec ion is
en i led ‘Impossible buildings’
[I
p.161.
He w o e o he li hog aph
‘Bel ede e’
(Figu e
1):
“In he lowe le o eg ound he e lies a piece o pape on which he
edges o a cube a e d awn. Two small ci cles ma k he places whe e
edges c oss each o he . Which edge comes a he on and which
a he back? In a h ee-dimensional wo ld simul aneous on and
back is an impossibili y and
so
canno be illus a ed. Ye i is qui e
possible o d aw an objec which displays a di e en eali y when
looked a om abo e and om below. The lad si ing on he bench
has go
jus
such a cube-like absu di y in his hands. He gazes
hough ully a his incomp ehensible objec and seems obli ious o
he ac ha he bel ede e behind him has been buil in he same im-
1.
HISTOIRE
En 1961, Esche publia un li e en ik emen dedi4
a
son oeu e g a-
phique.
11
ec i i lui-meme I’in oduc ion
e
une ca e desc ip ion
pou chacune des ep oduc ions appa aissan dam
le
olume. On
publiai en 1967
[I]
une e sion e isee e augmen ee de ce li e.
11
aisai une classi ica ion pa suje de ses oeu es. La de nie e sec-
ion es in i ulee ((lmmeubles impossibles~~.
II
ec i ai
a
p opos de
la li hog aphie ((Bel ede e>,
( igu e
1)
:
((
Au p emie plan in e ieu gauche, on ou e une euille de papie su
laquelle on a dessine les a g es d’un cube. Deux pe i s ce cles indi-
quen /‘emplacemen des poin s d’in e sec ion des a g es. Quelle
es
I’a b e quipasse
a
I’a an e quelle es celle quipasse
a
l’a ie e? Dans
un monde idimensionnel, la simul anei e de I’a an e de I’a ig e
es
une impossibili e e ne peu donc & e illus ee. D’au e pan‘,
il
es
ou
a
ai possible de dessine un obje qui ep esen e une eali e di e-
en e selon qu’il es obse e du dessus
ou
du dessous. Le ga con
assis su le banc a jus emen une elle absu di e en o me de cube
dans ses mains.
I1
ega de pensi emen ce obje incmp ehensible
e semble inconscien du ai que le bel ede e qui
se
ou e de ie e
6
FIGURE
1
'Bel ede e'
Li hog
aph
o
M
C
Esche
462
x
295
cm
(1
958)
((Bel ede e))
Li hog a-
phie
de
M
C
Esche .
462x295cm (1958)
possible s yle. On he loo o he lowe pla o m, ha is
o
say in-
doo s, s ands a ladde which wo people a e busy climbing. Bu as
soon as hey a i e a loo highe hey a e back in he open ai and
ha e
o
e-en e he building. Is
i
any wonde ha nobody in his
company can be bo he ed abou he a e o he p isone
in
he dun-
geon who s icks his head h ough he ba s and bemoans his a e?"
I
is well-known ha he i s 'impossible building' was designed by
Esche comple ely independen ly om he 'impossible objec s' c e-
a ed by
L.S.
and
R.
Pen ose [2] in 1956, he so-called 'impossible
iangle' and he 'impossible s ai cases'. This independence was
made clea by Roge Pen ose himsel in he mo ie "M.C. Esche :
Geome ies and impossible wo lds". ealized in 1984 [3]. Pa o
he explana ion o Pen ose in he ilm was published elsewhe e [4],
[5, p.801. In his pape o he P oceedings
o
he cong ess M.C.
Esche : A andScience [6, p.1501 Pen ose w o e: "In he mean ime,
and qui e independen ly, Esche had p oduced his li hog aph 'Bel e-
de e' which illus a es a e y simila kind o impossibili y."
The e is
no
doub ha one o he explici inspi a ion o he li ho-
g aph was he 'Necke 's cube'
(Figu e
2)
(see [7]).
-
FIGURE
2
The Necke
s
cube
(1832)
~.
u
lui a e e cons ui dans le mime s yle impossible. Su le sol de la
pla e- o me in e ieu e, c'es -a-di e a I'in e ieu , se ien une echelle su
laquelle deuxpe sonnes son en ain de mon e . Mais aussi d qu'ils
a i en a I'e age du dessus, ils se e ou en
a
I'ex e ieu e on
a
ein-
eg e I'immeuble. N'es -il pas ex ao dinai e que pe sonne en ce e
assemblee ne s'inquie e du des in du p isonnie
du
donjon quipasse
la i e en e les ba eaux e pleu e su son so ?
))
[
1
,
p.161
I1
es bien connu que ce p emie 'immeuble impossible' a
e e
conqu
pa Esche de aGon comple emen independan e des 'obje s impos-
sibles' C ees pa
L.S.
e
R.
Pen ose [2] en 1956, le soi-disan ' ian-
gle impossible'
e
les 'escalie s impossibles'. Roge Pen ose Iui-
m&me me ai en e idence ce e independance dans le ilm
((
M.C.
Esche : Geome ies and impossible wo lds,), ealise en 1984 [3].
Des ex ai s de I'explica ion de Pen ose emise dans
le
ilm
on
e e
publies ailleu s [4], [5, p.801. Dans son a icle pou les Comp es
endus du cong es M.C. Esche : A and Sclence [6, p.1501, Pen ose
ec i ai
~
((Pendan ce emps, e de a$on
ou
4
ai independan e,
Esche a ai p odui sa li hog aphie 'Bel ede e
'
qui illus ai une im-
possibili e d'un ype aimen similai e.
)'
II
n'y a aucun dou e que, pou la li hog aphie, I'une des sou ces
d'inspi a ion explici e u le 'cube de Necke '
( igu e
2)
( oi [7]).
En eponse
a
un a icle de Ma ianne Teube [a]. Geo ge Esche , le
ils de Mau i s Co nelis, ec i ai :
((
Su
un
poin impo an , je suis en acco d a ec Mme Teube : le ce-
Ieb e ase de Rubin, les escalie s de Sch oede e le cube de Necke
on p esque ce ainemen ou ni le ge me de /'inspi a ion de
M.
C.
Esche pou ses a aux su la subdi ision egulie e du plan e pou
plusieu s es ampes. Ces concep s isuels ascinan s on passe en e
ses mains, non pas pa les publica ions psychologiques, pou les-
quelles il n
'a
jamais demon e d'in e g , mais. de acon plus aisem-
blable, a a e s les ch oniques d'enigmes e de casse- i e de pe io-
diques plus p osai'ques don j'ai un ague sou eni .
))
[9]
7
FIGURE
3
Eng a ing on
wood
by
M.C.
Esche :
‘%.Pe e seen
om
he Gianicolo”,
241 x321
cm
(1934).
G a u e su bois de
M.C.
Esche :
<<Sain -Pie e u
du
Gianicolo
241 x321
cm
(1934).
Answe ing
o
an a icle by Ma ianne Teube
[8],
Geo ge Esche , son
o Mau i s Co nelis, w o e
[9]:
“On one impo an poin I do ag ee wi h
M s.
Teube : Rubin’s well
known ase, Sch oede ’s s ai s and Necke ’s cube did almos ce -
ainly p o ide he seed o inspi a ion o
M.C.
Esche ’s wo k on he
egula subdi ision o he plane and o many p in s. The e ascina -
ing isual concep s come in o his hands, howe e , no h ough psy-
chological publica ions, in which he ne e showed in e es s bu mo e
likely h ough he puzzle depa men
o
mo e p osaic pe iodicals o
which I ha e a ague ecollec ion.
”
Fo he possible in luences o he heo ies on isual pe cep ion on
Esche ’s wo ks see
[lo],
[Ill
and
[12].
A
p opos des in luences possibles des heo ies de la pe cep ion i-
suelle su les a aux d’Esche , on peu consul e
[lo],
[I
I]
e
[12].
Ve sluis
[13, p.3781
a p opose une hypo hese di e en e pou la
c ea ion de ‘Bel ede e’
:
<c
Ilmesemble quela desc ip ionlaplussim-
ple e la plus jus e de ce qu’Esche a p obablemen ai n’impliquepas
du
ou
la ipou e (le iangle impossible), e seulemen un peu
Necke .
>)
Dans ce cou a icle, je oud ais p opose une hypo hese plus “p o-
saique)), plus e iden e meme: du an son sejou
a
Rome, Esche
((a u)) un immeuble ((impossible))!
2.
HYPOlHhE
II
es bien connu qu’Esche a passe plusieu s annees en I alie.
II
habi a Rome de
1923
a
1935.
Son ils Geo ge, qui naqui
a
Rome
en
1926,
a dec i la pe manence de la amille Esche
a
Rome dans
le ca alogue de I’exposi ion de
1985
[14],
[15].
On ou e a dans
[16]
une biog aphie idele de la pe iode i alienne. La amille Esche
habi ai
a
Rome dans un pe i appa emen au h au de la Mon e
Ve de (mon agne e e), I’un des ‘qua ie i’ de la ille
;
I’ad esse e ai
100
Via ( ue) Alessand o Poe io. Ce e ue n’es pas es eloignee
de I’une des plus celeb es ues de Rome, la Passeggia a del
Gianicolo (la p omenade du Gianicolo). Le Gianicalo es I’une des
nomb euses collines de la ille
e
es aimen p es du Va ican.
Tous
les isi eu s de Rome on I’ascension du Gianicolo pou oi ou e
la ille de I’au e
cB e
de la i ie e Tebe . Esche a ealise quelques
oeu es en i an son inspi a ion des monumen s classiques de
Rome. En
1934,
il i une g a u e in i ulee ((Sain -Pie e u du
Gianicolo))
( igu e
3).
L’une des a~ons de se end e de sa demeu e au Va ican e ai de
descend e le Gianicolo pa la Passeggia a
( igu e
4).
Dans les annees
1930-1931,
on comple ai la cons uc ion, en bo -
du e de la Passeggia a del Gianicolo, du College de S -Josapha , un
college uk ainien p op ie e de la ci e du Va ican. L’i nmeuble
u
e -
a
FIGURE
4
Map o Rome (de ail):
0
Apa men o
Esche ’s amily,
ia A. Poe io.
0
College
S .
Josap ha
and Passeggia a
del
Gianicolo.
(3
%Pe e , Va ican.
Ca e de Rome (dk ail):
0
Appa emen de la
amille Esche , ia
A. Poe io.
0
College S -Josapha
e la Passeggia a del
Gianicolo.
Va ican.
0
Place Sain -Pie e,
Ve sluis [13,
p.3781
has p oposed a di e en hypo hesis o he
c ea ion o ‘Bel ede e’:
“I seems o me ha he simples and mo e
accu a e desc ip ion
o
wha Esche p obably did in ol es he iba
( he impossible iangle) no a all and Necke only sligh ly.”
In his sho no e
I
would like o p opose a mo e ‘p osaic’, e en ob-
ious hypo hesis: Esche ‘saw’ du ing his s aying in Rome an ‘im-
possible’ building!
2.
HYPOTHESlS
I
is well known ha Esche spen many yea s in I aly. He li ed in
Rome om 1923 ill 1935. His son Geo ge, who was bo n in Rome
in 1926, desc ibed he pe manence o he Esche ’s amily in Rome
in he ca alogue o he exhibi ion in 1985 [14], [15]. An accu a e bi-
og aphy o he I alian pe iod can be ound in [16]. The Esche am-
ily li ed in Rome in a small apa men up on he Mon e Ve de (G een
Moun ain), one
o
he ‘qua ie i’ o he own: he add ess was Via
(s ee ) Alessand o Poe io 100. This s ee is no a away om one
o he mos amous s ee in Rome, he ‘Passeggia a del Gianicolo’
( he walk o he Gianicolo). The Gianicolo is one o he many hills o
he own and i is qui e close o he Va ican.
All
he people coming
mine en 1932, sous le pape Pie
XI
;
I’a chi ec e e ai Leone Cas elli.
Dans les de nie es annees, j’ai
e e
amene a g a i la Passeggia a
chaque jou pendan plusieu s mois, pou des aisons pe sonnel-
les. J’a ais, quelque ois, une imp ession de deja u. E une ois,
je
ealisai. Je ega dais le ((Bel ede e
))
!
II
es clai qu’il y a, en I alie, plusieu s loggias
e
bel ede es, mais si
ous isi ez I’l alie
e
que ous mon ez la Passeggia a, au de ou
d’un angle, ous au ez la m6me imp ession
:
il es ici, I’immeuble im-
possible.
Esche es econnu pou a oi u ilise les mhes images a des an-
nees d’in e alle. On sai bien, pa exemple, que le po de Mal e a
e e u ilise pou di e ses es ampes ealisees a des annees di e en-
es. Ne peu -on pas suppose qu’il se sou in plusieu s annees ap es
de ce e ou obse ee alo s qu’il g a issai
le
Gianicolo? C’es peu -
& e une hypo hese ((impossible)) pou un immeuble ((impossible)).
Pou e mine ,
je
iens a eme cie Ma ianne Teube qui, ap es a oi
u les pho os du College a Rome, m’encou agea
a
ec i e ce e no e
en guise de jeu,
.11111.
9
FIGURE
5
The College
o
S Josapha up he
Passaggia a del
Gianicolo
(Pho o
by
he au ho
)
College S -Josapha
u
de
la Passaggia a
del
Gianicolo
(Pho og a-
phie
de
l'au eu
)
~~ ~~ ~
FIGURE
6
M
C Esche
'Bel ede e (de ail)
De ail
de
la Ii hog a-
phie
<<Bel ede e)) de
M
C Esche
~~~

10
o Rome make he walk up
o
he Gianicolo o see all he own on
he o he side o he i e Tebe . Esche made ew wo ks aking in-
spi a ion om he classic monumen s o Rome. In 1934 he made
an eng a ing by he i le o
'S .
Pe e seen om he Gianicolo'
(Fig-
u e
3).
One way o go om his home o he Va ican is o go down he
Gianicolo by he Passeggia a
(Figu e
4).
In he yea s 1930-31 along he Passeggia a del Gianicolo was com-
ple ed he cons uc ion o he College o S .Josapha , an Uk ainian
College, p ope y o he own o he Va ican. The building was in-
ished in 1932, unde he Pope Pi0
XI;
he enginee was Leone Cas elli.
In he las yea s
I
was obliged o climb up he Passeggia a e e y day
o many mon hs, jus o pe sonal easons.
I
had he imp ession,
some imes, o ' emembe ' some hing amilia . And once
I
ealized.
I
was looking a he 'Bel ede e'!
(Figu e
5,
6)
I
is clea ha he e a e
so
many Loggias and Bel ede es in I aly bu
i you come
o
I aly and you climb up he Passeggia a, a e a co -
ne , you will ha e he same imp ession: he e i is, he impossible
building.
Esche is amous o ha ing used he same images a a dis ance o
many yea s. I is well-known he example o he po o Mal a used
in a ious p in s in di e en yea s. Why no suppose ha he emem-
be ed many yea s a e ha owe seen while he was walking up he
Gianicolo? Pe haps an 'impossible' hypo hesis o an 'impossible'
building.
Finally
I
would like
o
hank Ma ianne Teube who, a e seeing he
pho os
o
he College in Rome, encou aged me o w i e his li le
game.
.,Ill,.
[l] M.C. Esche
The G aphic Wo k.
Macdonald
&
Co., London (1961)
[2]
L.S.
Pen ose
&
R.
Pen ose
"lmposslble objec s: a special ype
01
isual illusion:'
B i .
J.
Psych., 49 (1958), 31
[9] M. Emme
"M.C. Esche : Geome les and Impo si-
bie Wo lds:'
Film, se ies 'A and Ma hema ics', 27 mi-
nu es, colo , sound, FILM 7 P od., Rome
(1 984).
[I] M. Emme
"Commen s
on
he no e by Jean C. Rush
on
he appeal
01
M.C. Esche pic u es:'
Leona do, 13 (1980), 209-210.
[5] 8. E ns
"He bepoochelde oog: Onmopellike en
mee zlnnipe llpu en!'
Meulenho Nede land b , Ams e dam
(1986).
[6]
R.
Pen ose
"Esche and he isual ep esen a ion
o
ma hema ical Ideas."
In "M.C. Esche : A and Science",
H.S.M. Coxe e , M. Emme ,
R.
Pen ose,
M.
Teube (Eds.), No h-Holland, Am-
s e dam (1986), 143-157.
[7] M. Emme
"Commen s on A.L. Loeb's co e-
spondence wi h he p aphlc a is
M.C. Esche :'
Leona do, 17 (1984), 200-201.
[8] M.Teube
"Sou ce
o
ambigui y in he p in s
o
Mau i s C. Esche :'
Scien i ic Ame ican, 231 (1974),
90-104.
[O] G. Esche
"Le e s:'
Scien i ic Ame ican, 232 (1975).
8
[lo] M.L. Teube
"Pe cep ual heo y and ambigui y In he
wo k
01
M.C. Esche apalns he back-
g ound
o
20 h cen u y a !
In "M.C. Esche : A and Science",
[ll] 8. E ns
"Esche 's Imposslble igu e p lnk In a
new con ex :'
In "M.C. Esche : A and Science",
1121
R.
G ego y
"Puales
01
pic u es as un ouchable
objec s:'
In "M.C. Esche : A and Science",
[13] E.B. Ve sluis
"M.C. Esche 's 'Likely Impossibili ies'
using
he beau y
o
ma hema ics o
c ea e he u h
o
a :'
In "M.C. Esche : A and Science",
159-1 78.
125-134.
135-142.
375-382.
[14] G. Esche
"Roman memo ies:'
in "Mau i s C. Esche ", ca alogue
o
he
exhibi ion, M. Emme , C. an Vlande en
(Eds.), ls i u o Olandese di Roma (1985),
(151
G.
Esche
"M.C. Esche a wo k:'
In
"M.C. Esche : A and Science", 1-11.
[16]
F.H.
Bool, J.R. Kins , J.L. Loche ,
F.
Wie da,
6.
E ns
La ie e i'oeu e
de
M.C. Esche .
ChCne, Pa is (1981).
12-17.