Maurits C. Escher (1898-1972) was a Dutch artist, principally famous for his mathematically inspired prints. Because his father had been a civil engineer in Leeuwarden and Arnhem, Escher aspired in his childhood to be an architect and therefore enrolled in the School for Architecture and Decorative Arts in Haarlem. He studied there between 1919 and 1922, during which time he became more interested in drawing and printmaking, something in which he was encouraged by his teacher, Samuel Jessurun de Mesquita. After marrying Jetta Umiker in 1924, EScher moved to Rome where he lived until 1935. At this time, fascist political pressure forced them to move back to Hollandby way of Switzerland and Belgium. Escher lived and worked in Baarn until shortly before his death. During his life he had also been a draftsman, book illustrator, tapestry designer, and muralist.