Blog #5: Illusions/ Reality (Tram Dang)
One of the illusion and system of perception that fascinated me is M.C. Escher's tessellation. Maurits Cornelius Escher or M.C. Escher was known for his "impossible drawings", drawings using multiple vanishing points, and his "diminishing tessellations". Throughout his various artworks, Escher uses complex mathematics and geometry.
Tessellations are divisions of the plane or are closed shapes that cover the plane. The word tessellation derives from the Latin word "tessella," which were small square stones or tiles used in ancient Roman mosaics. Often they are classified as repeating, non-periodic, fractals patterns or shapes. Tessellations are often regarded as pizzles pieces because the shapes fit together perfectly, never overlap, and are a pattern that can go on forever.
This idea is so fascinating because it is a simple idea that has various techniques and approached. It relates to science in that it is math and deals with symmetry. It reminds me of the Illusion/ Reality text and Bohr's theory of complementarity. To appreciate the beauty of light, we needed to understand that light was not either a wave or a particle, but it was both. Similarly, art and science are not just one or the other, but we need an understanding of both; otherwise, the other is inadequate. Mathematicians know that math is beautiful and always right. But without M.C Escher, he would not have been able to merge the idea of art and science to show viewers how beautiful math is.
Escher uses different techniques to create these tessellations, but all of his works involve a transformation from a simple geometric pattern to a complicated, recognizable figure. There are only three regular shapes that can "tessellate," or tile a plane... the triangle, square, and hexagon. Each of these tessellations consists of the same type of regular polygon. After he creates his patter, contrast is necessary to see if a tessellation was successful. Contrasts can be through color, value, and tone make contour lines between shapes, so we can distinguish between forms. Contrast epitomized the dualism of negative and positive space.
These are examples of tessellations:
These are not:
The simplest example of an Escher tessellation is based on a square. Start with a simple geometric pattern, a square grid, and then change that ever so slightly.
Tessellations are divisions of the plane or are closed shapes that cover the plane. The word tessellation derives from the Latin word "tessella," which were small square stones or tiles used in ancient Roman mosaics. Often they are classified as repeating, non-periodic, fractals patterns or shapes. Tessellations are often regarded as pizzles pieces because the shapes fit together perfectly, never overlap, and are a pattern that can go on forever.
This idea is so fascinating because it is a simple idea that has various techniques and approached. It relates to science in that it is math and deals with symmetry. It reminds me of the Illusion/ Reality text and Bohr's theory of complementarity. To appreciate the beauty of light, we needed to understand that light was not either a wave or a particle, but it was both. Similarly, art and science are not just one or the other, but we need an understanding of both; otherwise, the other is inadequate. Mathematicians know that math is beautiful and always right. But without M.C Escher, he would not have been able to merge the idea of art and science to show viewers how beautiful math is.
Escher uses different techniques to create these tessellations, but all of his works involve a transformation from a simple geometric pattern to a complicated, recognizable figure. There are only three regular shapes that can "tessellate," or tile a plane... the triangle, square, and hexagon. Each of these tessellations consists of the same type of regular polygon. After he creates his patter, contrast is necessary to see if a tessellation was successful. Contrasts can be through color, value, and tone make contour lines between shapes, so we can distinguish between forms. Contrast epitomized the dualism of negative and positive space.
These are examples of tessellations:
These are not:
The simplest example of an Escher tessellation is based on a square. Start with a simple geometric pattern, a square grid, and then change that ever so slightly.
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