To understand music theory, it helps to know M.C. Escher — the Dutch graphic artist (1898-1972). He was an engineer, mathematician, illusionist, and philosopher as much as an “artist.”
His evolution was fascinating, exemplified by these two self-portraits made six years apart. On the left is “Self Portrait” from November 1929 (age 31), while on the right is “Hand With Reflecting Sphere” from from January 1935 (age 36). Clearly the man’s mind was expanding as time advanced.
And this expansion arose from his studies of symmetry, dimension, and patterns … patterns that are eerily reminiscent of those we see in music.
For example, notice how his self-referential “Drawing Hands” (January 1948) represents the fundamental structure of the circle of fifths. It’s radial symmetry echoes the strange framework of music, where time (or the concept of a beginning and end) becomes abstract.
