Maurits Cornelis Escher was born on June 17, 1898 in Leeuwarden (Holland). He studied drawing at high school in Arnhem with F.V. van der Hagen, who introduced him to the technique of linocut and developed his graphic skills. At the School of Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem (1919-1922), Escher's teacher was Samuel Jesserun de Mesquita, whose creative personality had a strong influence on his development as an engraver and draftsman. Having left for Italy in 1922, two years later Escher settled in Rome. During his ten-year stay in Italy, he traveled a lot (Abruzzo, Amalfi Coast, Calabria, Sicily, Corsica and Spain). After leaving Italy in 1934, he spent two years in Switzerland and five years in Brussels. In 1941, Escher moved to Barn (Holland), where he lived for more than thirty years and died on March 27.