The Beauty, Balance, Symmetry and Continuity in Geometric Patterns
There are many ways by which pattern art is trending these days.
Though it may not be quite as well known in today’s world that its origins stretch back into early human history. One particular type of pattern art that seem to epitomize this trend, is tessellations. A tessellation is a tiling of some kind of geometric shape with another, without gaps or overlaps (meaning everything fits together perfectly)... Think, mosaic tiling! It can repeat endlessly and be made up of any shapes, but the most common are triangles, squares, and hexagons.
Tessellations were first found in the Sumerian Civilization at approximately 4000 B.C, where people used tessellation designs built from hardened clay to construct and decorate the walls of temples and homes. The inspirations were likely taken from nature; a honeycomb, for example, is a tessellation consisting of regular hexagons. Similar geometric patterns and artistic elements existed in different cultures all over the world, such as with the Arabic, Byzantine, Chinese, Egyptians, Greek, Japanese, Moors, Persians, and Romans.
More can be understood about geometrical shapes in The Elements - a collection of 13 books written by Euclid in Alexandria around 300 B.C., which contain geometric statements and proofs on topics such as congruence, similarity and proportion that form the basis for modern mathematics and geometry.
Modern art usually carries a more aesthetic function for geometric patterns though, and have been used throughout history to portray beauty, balance, symmetry and continuity. To some, they even represent the cyclical nature of life… Individual forms or shapes connecting into one larger whole pattern that repeats infinitely, as a symbol of eternity. Like Albert Einstein said: A human being is part of a whole called by us, “Universe.” Or, Alan Watts… “Every individual is a unique manifestation of the Whole, as every branch is a particular outreaching of the tree.”
In general, patterns are used to inspire observation… They encourage us to look at their simplicity, yet simultaneous complexity. Take a moment and notice the patterns that surround you in the brick walls of old architecture, the stacked windows of a high-rise, an entryway wallpaper, the fabric of your couch pillow, and more. It’s amazing how these simple shapes or graphics can be transformed into something so much greater when repeated in a pattern.
