Bach, Rachel Carlson, and MC Escher 

I’m a fan of MC Escher’s art. And Rachel Carlson’s writing. And Johann Sebastian Bach’s music. (Who isn’t?) But did you know that they are connected? Escher and Carlson were inspired by Bach. And each was also inspired by the other. In fact, thanks to The Marginalian, I discovered that Escher wrote about his admiration for Carlson several times in letters to his friends and to his son. For example:

She describes that liquid element, with an overview of all its associated facets and problems, in such an enthralling manner, with precision and poetry, that it is driving me half insane. This is exactly the kind of reading material I, with my advancing years, need most: a stimulus from our mother earth for my spatial imagination…. It is kindling in me intense inspiration to create a new print.

If you’d like to read more about this connection, Maria Popova writes about it in this (typically overly florid) essay. Click here.