A principle of art and the universe itself, a pattern is an element (or set of
elements) that is repeated in a piece of work or an associated set of works.
Artists use patterns as decoration, as a technique of composition, or as an
entire piece of artwork. Patterns are diverse and useful as a tool that grabs a
viewer's attention, whether it be subtle or very apparent.
What are Patterns?
Patterns are innate parts of art that attract and mesmerize the viewer. The
ability to recognize patterns is a baseline skill of humans and identifying
patterns in paintings is a practice that tends to have a soothing psychological
effect on the viewer.
Pattern recognition is a fundamental function of the human brain—in fact of
all animals, and it can apply to visual images but also sound and smell. It
allows us to take in and quickly understand our environments. Pattern
recognition is what allows us to do everything from recognizing individuals
and their emotional states to solving jigsaw puzzles to sensing when a storm is
due. As a result, patterns in art satisfy and intrigue us, whether those patterns
are clearly identifiable, such as Andy Warhol's repeated images of Marilyn
Monroe, or must be parsed out, as in Jackson Pollack's seemingly random
splatters.
How Artists Use Patterns
Patterns can help set the rhythm of a piece of art. When we think of patterns,
images of checkerboards, bricks, and floral wallpaper come to mind. Yet
patterns go far beyond that: a pattern doesn't always have to be an identical
repetition of an element.
Patterns have been used since some of the first art was created in ancient
times. We see it in a pride of lions on the walls of 20,000-year-old Lascaux
Cave, and on the cord-markings in the first pottery made 10,000 years ago.
Patterns have regularly adorned architecture throughout the ages. Many
artists over the centuries added pattern embellishments to their work, whether
strictly as decoration or to signify a known object, such as a woven basket.
"Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is
recognition of the pattern."—Alfred North Whitehead (British Philosopher and
Mathematician, 1861–1947)
Forms of Patterns
In art, patterns can come in many forms. An artist may use color to signify a
pattern, repeating a single or select palette of colors throughout a work. They
can also use lines to form patterns such as in Op Art. Patterns can also be
shapes, whether geometric (as in mosaics and tessellations) or natural (floral
patterns), that are found in art.
Patterns can also be seen in an entire series of work. Andy Warhol's
"Campbell's Soup Can" (1962) is an example of a series that, when displayed
together as intended, creates a distinct pattern.
Artists tend to follow patterns in their entire body of work as well. The
techniques, media, approaches, and subjects they choose can show a pattern
across a lifetime of work and it often defines their signature style. In this
sense, pattern becomes a part of the process of an artist's actions, a behavioral
pattern, so to speak.
Natural Patterns
Patterns are found everywhere in nature, from the leaves on a tree to the
microscopic structure of those leaves. Shells and rocks have patterns, animals
and flowers have patterns, even the human body follows a pattern and
includes countless patterns within it.
In nature, patterns are not set to a standard of rules. Sure, we can identify
patterns, but they are not necessarily uniform. Snowflakes nearly always have
six sides, but each separate snowflake has a pattern that is different from every
other snowflake.
A natural pattern can also be broken up by a single irregularity or be found
outside of the context of an exact replication. For instance, a species of tree
may have a pattern to its branches but that doesn't mean every branch grows
from a designated spot. Natural patterns are organic in design.
Man-Made Patterns
Man-made patterns, on the other hand, tend to strive for perfection. A
checkerboard is easily recognizable as a series of contrasting squares drawn
with straight lines. If a line is out of place or one square is red rather than
black or white, this challenges our perception of that well-known pattern.
Humans also attempt to replicate nature within man-made patterns. Floral
patterns are a perfect example because we are taking a natural object and
turning it into a repeating pattern with some variation. The flowers and vines
do not have to be replicated exactly. The emphasis comes from the general
repetition and placement of the elements within the overall design.
Irregular Patterns in Art
Our minds tend to recognize and enjoy patterns, but what happens when that
pattern is broken? The effect can be disturbing and it will certainly catch our
attention because it is unexpected. Artists understand this, so you will often
catch them throwing irregularities into patterns.
For example, the work of M.C. Escher plays off our desire for patterns and that
is why it is so captivating. In one of his most famous works, "Day and Night"
(1938), we see the checkerboard morph into flying white birds. Yet, if you look
closely, the tessellation reverses itself with blackbirds flying in the opposite
direction.
Escher distracts us from this by using the familiarity of the checkerboard
pattern along with the landscape below. At first, we know that something isn't
quite right and that's why we keep looking at it. In the end, the pattern of the
birds mimics the patterns of the checkerboard.
The illusion would not work if it did not rely on an uncertainty of pattern. The
result is a piece with high impact that is memorable to all who view it.
