The 1960’s was one of the most important decades in 20th-century art. Styles and movements that arose during this time include Pop Art, Op Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Performance Art and Arte Povera among countless other styles and movements.
The 1960’s was one of the most important decades in 20th-century art. Styles and movements that arose
during this time include Pop Art, Op Art, Minimalism, Conceptual Art, Performance Art and Arte Povera
among countless other styles and movements.
Ascending and Descending is a lithograph by the Dutch artist M. C. Escher first printed in March 1960.
The lithograph shows a large building roofed by a never-ending staircase. Two lines of identically dressed
men appear on the staircase with one line ascending while the other descends. Two figures sit apart from
the people on the endless staircase: one is in a secluded courtyard and the other is on a lower set of
stairs. While most two-dimensional artists use relative proportions to create the illusion of depth, Escher
here and elsewhere uses conflicting proportions to create the visual paradox.