A wall tiling at the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain.
Since then, virtually every other civilization throughout history adopted using tessellations in both art and architecture.
Read on to discover the history of tessellations and how the complex theory is still used today.
A wall tiling at the Alhambra, in Granada, Spain. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 3.0))
What is a tessellation?
There are different styles of tessellations depending on the shapes used.
The word tessellation comes from the Latin termtesserameaning a small, tile-like stone.
An example of semi-regular tessellation (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 3.0))
Tessera was used to maketessellata, meaning mosaics and tilings that decorate ancient Roman buildings.
The most common configurations areregular tessellationsandsemi-regular tessellations.
Each vertex is surrounded by the same polygons arranged in the same recurring order.
Ceramic tile tessellations in Marrakech, Morocco (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY-SA 3.0))
(See the example above.)
Perhaps the most celebrated style of tessellations can be found inIslamic art and architecture.
Religious Islamic art is typically characterized by the absence of figures and other living beings.
Tile work in Morocco Pavilion in World Showcase at EPCOT Center. (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, (CC BY 2.0))
This is because many Muslims believe that the creation of living forms is solely Gods doing.
Therefore, they embraced the abstract characteristics of tessellation and used colorful geometric tiles to create non-representational patterns.
Inside the fortress, walls are adorned with countless colored tiles in geometric formations.
“Die Reciproken Tänzerinnen” (The Reciprocal Dancers) lithograph by Koloman Moser, 1901 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, public domain)
In Islam, using tessellations to decorate surfaces and is calledzillij.
This style of mosaic tilework is made from individually hand-chiseled pieces set into a plaster base.
Tile work in Morocco Pavilion in World Showcase at EPCOT Center.
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Many artists have focused on creating art that follows certain mathematical rules.
Perhaps the most famous artist to use geometric grids in his work isM.
Despite not having formal mathematical training, Escher had an eye for precision and a natural understanding of geometry.
He was once quoted saying, Order is repetition of units.
Chaos is multiplicity without rhythm.
Along withGustav Klimt, Moser was one of the founders ofThe Vienna Secession.
