Hand with the Reflecting Sphere

Reflection of Life Near the end of every journey of life, people will look back and reflect on past doings to judge the weight of what they feel their life was worth. For some, that reflection may be filled with feelings of accomplishment and contentment. That feeling can be for things such as settling down with a family or just simply making the most of what life has thrown at them. For others, however, the reflections may be filled with various memories of regrets stemming from things such as lost loves or an isolated lifestyle. Hand with Reflecting Globe, a picture drawn by M.C. Escher, a famous artist, depicts an example of a life reflection, in this case, the artist himself. The concept Escher tries to express is that each spontaneous action or decision has a major influence on what can seen in the reflection. The message being shown through this picture is that every man, woman or child who does not take full advantage of the life given to them will live only to look back on what can be described as an empty room, nothing to express emotionally and certainly nothing important enough to form any kind of attachment, however, a major element in Escher’s image is power. Power to control and change the reflection in the globe depending on the individual’s choices and actions in life. The focal point of any piece of artwork is the one object that instantly grabs the audience’s attention, in this case, the man, a representation of a life full of regret and delusion. The neutral expression seen on his face suggests that he holds no particular attachment to his surroundings and constantly keeping a professional front, not usually a feeling associated with one’s home. Another feature that hides what the man is currently thinking is his beard. Covering half of his face, the beard serves as a barrier between the reflection and the man’s emotions, in a sense, protection from reality. The simple curve of the globe causes the man’s facial features to appear as if he