M.C. Escher

Maurits Cornelis Escher, known as M. C. and nicknamed "Mauk," was a Dutch graphic artist especially known for his woodcuts and lithographs. Math and architecture were his guides, and structure and balance are quite evident in his work. Relativity and Waterfall are good examples. He was born in 1888 in the Netherlands received much inspiration from the Italian countryside and his home country, where he died in 1972. Rather than paint a subject or view that he saw with his eyes, he painted what was in his mind, which is clearly evidenced in one of his most famous works, Drawing Hands. Escher preferred black and white or pale shades, tones, or textures created by using metals and printmaking methods that were innovative at the time. Even with the absence of bright colors, Escher's works are intriguing studies of light and dark.

Herman Leonard

Herman Leonard (b. 1923) is an American photographer who loves jazz. In the 1940s, 50s, and 60s, he took his camera to the New York City jazz clubs and captured unforgettable black-and-white images of yesterday's music giantsâ??Dizzy Gillespie, Frank Sinatra, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, and Louis Armstrong. Many of these photographs are highly prized by collectors, and his work is now archived at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. In 2005, Leonard was living and working in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina struck. All his work was ruined or lost, but his staff was able to save most of his negatives. He now lives and works in Studio City, California.