M.C. Escher, full name Maurits Cornelis Escher, was a Dutch graphic artist born on June 17, 1898, known for his intricate, mathematically inspired prints that create bizarre optical illusions and impossible constructions. He worked mainly with lithographs, woodcuts, and mezzotints, producing around 450 prints and 2,000 drawings and sketches in his lifetime. His art is famous for exploring impossible objects, perspective tricks, symmetry, tessellations, and metamorphoses of forms, bridging art and mathematics in unique ways.