Curl-up or Wentelteefje (original Dutch title) is a lithograph print by M. C. Escher, first printed in November 1951.
This is the only work by Escher consisting largely of text. The text, which is written in Dutch, describes an imaginary species called Pedalternorotandomovens centroculatus articulosus, also known as “wentelteefje” or “rolpens”. He says this creature came into existence because of the absence in nature of wheel shaped, living creatures with the ability to roll themselves forward.
The creature is elongated and armored with several keratinized joints. It has six legs, each with what appears to be a human foot. It has a disc-shaped head with a parrot-like beak and eyes on stalks on either side.
It can either crawl over a variety of terrain with its six legs or press its beak to the ground and roll into a wheel shape. It can then roll, gaining acceleration by pushing with its legs. On slopes it can tuck its legs in and roll freely. This rolling can end in one of two ways; by abruptly unrolling in motion, which leaves the creature belly-up, or by braking to a stop with its legs and slowly unrolling backwards.
The word wentelteefje is Dutch for French toast, wentel meaning "to turn over". Rolpens is a dish made with chopped meat wrapped in a roll and then fried or baked. Een pens means "belly", often used in the phrase beer-belly.
There is a diagonal gap through the text containing an illustration showing the step by step process of the creature rolling into a wheel. This creature appears in two more prints completed later the same month, House of Stairs and House of Stairs II.
Translation
The translation of the surrounding text is as follows:
The Pedalternorotandomovens Centroculatus Articulosus (curl-up) came into existence (spontaneous generation), because of the absence, in nature, of wheel shaped, living creatures with the ability to roll themselves forward. The accompanying 'beastie' depiction, referred to as 'revolving bitch' or 'roll paunch' in laymen's terms, subsequently anticipates the need with sensitivity. Biological details are still few: is it a mammal, a reptile, or an insect? It has a long, drawn-out, horned, sectioned body and three sets of legs; the ends of which look like the human foot. In the middle of the fat, round head, that is provided with a strong, bent parrots beak; they have bulb-shaped eyes, which, placed on posts, protrude far out from both sides of the head. In the stretched out position, the animal can, slow and cautiously, with the use of his six legs, move forward over a variety of terrains (it can potentially climb or descend steep stairs, plow through bushes, or scramble over boulders). However, when it must cover a great distance, and has a relatively flat path to his disposal, he pushes his head to the ground and rolls himself up with lightning speed, at which time he pushes himself off with his legs- for as much as they can still touch the ground. In the rolled up state it exhibits the form of a discus, of which the eye posts are the central axle. By pushing off alternately with one of his three pairs of legs, he can achieve great speeds. It is also sometimes desirable during the rolling (i.e. The descent of an incline, or coasting to a finish) to hold up the legs and 'freewheel' forward. Whenever it wants, it can return again to the walking position in two ways: first abruptly, by suddenly extending his body, but then it's lying on his back with his legs in the air, and second through gradual deceleration (braking with his feet) and slowly unrolling backwards in standing position.
Sources
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Works | 1910s |
- Escher's Father
- Bookplate Bastiaan Kist
- Chrysanthemum
- Head of a child
- Skull
- Railway Bridge, Oosterbeek
- Mascot
- Portrait of a Man (I)
- Self-Portrait (I)
- Baby
- Young Thrush
- Bookplate M. C. Escher
- Self-Portrait (II)
- Jug
- The Rag Pickers
- Fiet van Stolk
- Waves
- Self-Portrait (III)
- White Cat (I)
- The Borger Oak
- Portrait
- Seated Man with cat on his lap
- Tree
- Self-Portrait (IV)
- Parrot
- White Cat (II)
- Sea-shell
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1920s |
- Self Portrait in a Chair
- Rabbits
- Female Nude in a Landscape
- Wild West
- The Fall of Men
- Escher's Father with Magnifying Glass
- Portrait of a Man (II)
- Man Standing
- Seated Old Woman
- Flower
- Seated Female Nude (I)
- Seated Female Nude (II)
- Seated Female Nude (III)
- Roosje Ingen Housz
- Poster
- Plane-filling Motif with Human Figures
- Paradise
- Seated Female Nude (IV)
- Seated Female Nude (V)
- Hand with Fir Cone
- St Francis
- Eight Heads
- Eagle, vignette
- Dolphins
- San Gimignano
- Self-Portrait (V)
- Portrait of Jetta
- Vitorchiano nel Cimino
- The First Day of the Creation
- The Sixth Day of Creation
- The Fall of Man
- Procession in Crypt
- Rome
- Castle in the Air
- Tower of Babel
- Fara San Martino, Abruzzi
- Corte, Corsica
- The Drowned Cathedral
- Infant Arthur Escher
- Self-Portrait (VI)
- Barbarano, Cimino
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1930s |
- Street in Scanno, Abruzzi
- Castrovalva
- The Bridge
- Fiumara, Calabria
- Tropea, Calabria
- Cloister near Rocca Imperiale, Calabria
- Atrani, Coast of Amalfi
- Covered Alley in Atrani
- Ravello and the Coast of Amalfi
- Coast of Amalfi
- Farmhouse, Ravello
- San Cosimo, Ravello
- Turello, Southern Italy
- Porta Maria dell'Ospidale, Ravello
- Lion of the Fountain in the Piazza at Ravello
- San Michele dei Frisone, Rome
- Mumified Priests in Gangi, Sicily
- Temple of Segeste, Sicily
- Cave Dwellings (near Sperlinga) Sicily
- Palm
- Caltavuturo in the Madonie Mountains Sicily
- Cloister of Monreale Sicily
- Lava Flow of 1928 from Etna Sicily
- Pineta of Calvi, Corsica
- Phosphorescent Sea
- Fireworks
- Old Olive Tree, Corsica
- Nonza, Corsica
- Still Life with Mirror
- Nocturnal Rome: Colonade of St Peter's
- Nocturnal Rome: Santa Maria del Popolo
- Nocturnal Rome: Trajan's Column
- Nocturnal Rome: Basilica of Constantine
- Nocturnal Rome: Castel Sant' Angelo
- Nocturnal Rome: Colosseum
- Aeroplane above Snowy Landscape
- Still Life with Spherical Mirror
- Hand with Reflecting Sphere
- Regular Division of the Plane
- Inside St Peter's
- Portrait of G.A. Escher
- Sengela, Malta
- Hell, copy after Hieronymus Bosch
- Snow
- Prickly Flower
- House in the Lava near Nunziata, Sicily
- Still Life and Street
- Metamorphosis I
- Development I
- Day and Night
- Cycle
- Sky and Water I
- Sky and Water II
- Entrance to the Oude Kerk, Delft
- Development II (I)
- Development II (II)
- Oostpoort, Delft
- Nieuwe Kerk, Delft
- Town Hall, Delft
- Voldersgracht, Delft
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1940s |
- Metamorphosis II
- Bookplate Dr. P.H.M. Travaglino
- Horse (No. 8)
- Sea Horse (No. 11)
- Lizard (No. 15)
- Eagle (No. 17)
- Two Birds (No. 18)
- Fish (No. 20)
- Clowns (No. 21)
- Bird / Fish (No. 22)
- Lizard (No. 25)
- Three Birds (No. 28)
- Fish
- Plane-filling Motif with Reptiles
- Bird / Fish (No. 34)
- Bird / Fish (No. 34B)
- Dragonfly (No. 38)
- Crab (No. 40)
- Two Fish (No. 41)
- Shells and Starfish (No. 42)
- Bird (No. 44)
- Angel-Devil (No. 45)
- Verbum
- Two Fish (No. 46)
- Frog (No. 51)
- Fish (No. 55)
- Lizard (No. 56)
- Two Fish (No. 57)
- Two Fish (No. 58)
- Two Fish (No. 59)
- Two Lizards (No. 60)
- Reptiles
- Ant
- Blowball (I)
- Blowball (II)
- Encounter
- Two Creatures (No. 61)
- Devil (No. 62)
- Pessimist-Optimist (No. 63)
- Balcony
- Doric Columns
- Three Spheres I
- Diploma Tijdelijke Academie, Eindhoven
- Winged Lion (No. 66)
- Magic Mirror
- Three Spheres II
- Horseman
- Mumified Frog
- Eye
- New Year's greeting-card
- Gallery
- Horseman (No. 67)
- Another World
- Up and Down
- Drawing Hands
- Dewdrop
- Sun and Moon
- Study for Stars
- Stars
- Fish / Duck / Lizard (No. 69)
- Butterfly (No. 70)
- Fish / Boat (No. 72)
- New Year's greeting card
- Plane-filling Motif with Birds
- Regular Division of the Plane with Birds
- Sea-shells
- Fish and Frogs
- Double Planetoid
- Flying Fish (No. 73)
- Horse / Bird (No. 76)
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1950s |
- Order and Chaos
- Rippled Surface
- Devils (vignette)
- Unicorn (No. 78)
- Flying Fish / Bird (No. 80)
- Predestination
- Plane Filling I
- Curl-up
- House of Stairs
- Bird / Fish (No. 82)
- Thirty-Six Different Motifs (No. 83)
- Bird / Fish (No. 8)
- Two Intersecting Planes
- Puddle
- Dragon
- Gravitation
- Lizard / Fish / Bat (No. 85)
- Two Birds (No. 87)
- Sea Horse (No. 88)
- Concentric Rinds
- Relativity
- Spirals
- Beetle (No. 91)
- Bookplate A.R.A. Wertheim
- Tetrahedral Planetoide
- Fish (No. 93)
- Convex and Concave
- Liberation
- Rind
- Depth
- Three Worlds
- Fish (No. 94)
- Swan (No. 96)
- Swans
- Bond of Union
- Print Gallery
- Division
- Smaller and Smaller
- Lizards (No. 101)
- Cube with Magic Ribbons
- Plane Filling II
- Whirlpools
- Belvedere
- Sphere Surface with Fish
- Sphere Spirals
- Flatworms
- Circle Limit II
- Circle Limit III
- Fishes and Scales
- Lizard (No. 104)
- Pegasus (No. 105)
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1960s | |
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