MC Escher & Tessellations

M.C. Escher

&

Tessellations

Tessellations in Nature

Reflection

Tessellation in

Architecture & Design

A Tessellation in which the tile repeats by reflecting (flipping) the cut-out piece, then sliding it across the tile (sometimes called a "Glide Reflection")

Ask Ms. Foushee about Portugal!

The Moors (Muslims from Northern Africa) invaded the Iberian Peninsula (including modern-day Portugal) about 700 AD. Muslims use decorative tiles because they do not believe in recreating people in their art. Today, 1300 years later, you can still see this influence in the capital city of Lisbon and in several other places all over Portugal.

Sidewalks around Lisbon

Facades of buildings as well as interior walls and floors

Tessellations

in Art

Sintra Palace

M.C. Escher is known world-wide for his many works with the types of tessellations.

This is a section of the rotation tessellation used in Escher's piece entitled 'Reptiles.'

Above is a reflection tessellation by Escher titled 'Angels and Devils.'

Rotation

A rotation tessellation involves turning or rotating an image around a central point at a consistent angle all around. The images still must fit together without gaps or overlapping.

What is a Tile

One or more geometric (or geometrically-based) shapes that fit together to cover a plane

A rectangle, triangle, or hexagon will fill a plane if their edges touch; these are regular tessellations.

Not all shapes will tessellate on their own. Some shapes must be combined to fill the plane with no gaps; these are semi-regular tessellations.

Translation

A Tessellation which the shape repeats by moving or sliding cut pieces across the tile

M.C. Escher

June 17, 1898 - March 27, 1972

Maurits Cornelis Escher, better known as M.C. Escher, was born on June 17, 1898 in Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. He spent his life traveling Europe being inspired to create beautiful sketches and wood carvings. He is known for his mathematically-accurate tessellations and sketches of impossible reality that add a new perspective to reality and the world around us. He died at the age of 73 in Baarn, Holland.

Interesting Facts

Tessellations

Escher was left handed like many other great artists, such as Michelangelo. Many of his works depict the right hand, being that he tended to use it as a model.

M.C. Escher originally went to school for architecture, but on a friend's advice, switched to graphic art.

Although Escher produced many works for book illustrations and art prints, it was 30 years before he earned enough money to support himself without his parents' help.

A tessellation is a picture or design comprised completely of repeating shapes or images.

The shapes must fit perfectly together with no overlap or gaps between each shape. Some can be comprised of more than a single shape or image.

Tessellation is also known as "tiling."

Escher and British mathematician Roger Penrose were each inspired by the other's work.