Introduction to Pattern

Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment is recognition of the pattern.  –Alfred North Whitehead

This week we will be discussing the concept of pattern in art. You’ve already seen the use of pattern in nearly every section of this course so far. Pattern emerges from many figure-ground experiments (think of M.C. Escher); it often makes an appearance when thinking about the mark and the line; and it certainly emerges when using the grid as a central theme. Repeating shapes, colors, and theme can each create a sense of “pattern” in a work of art, which in turn creates a sense of rhythm for the viewer. Disruptions in a pattern should be intentional  since a viewers eye will always be drawn to it.

I’ve included some images for you to look at on the right on one of my Pinterest boards. Many are from well-known artists and there are a few from lesser-known, contemporary artists.

Learning Objectives

1. Familiarize yourself with the concept of pattern in art and to what ends artists use it.
2. Show that you can identify works with pattern as a predominant theme in the work.
3. Create your own work that demonstrates  use of a pattern  in a creative way.
4. Use Photoshop to demonstrate how an artist’s use of pattern can change the mood or meaning of a work by removing the pattern from the image.

 Pattern and Rhythm

“Repetition  refers to one object or shape repeated;  pattern  is a combination of elements or shapes repeated in a recurring and regular arrangement;  rhythm–is a combination of elements repeated, but with variations.’ –Lucy Lamp  

The use of pattern creates a kind of visual rhythm that, if used judiciously, can change the mood of a painting. I’ve added a couple of pictures to the right to explain.

Gustav Klimt was fond of pattern and used it to great effect and remarked often that the quilts in his home as a child influenced his use of pattern.  The first image is a famous painting of Edith Bloch-Bauer and you can see the heavy heavy use of pattern to flatten out the body of Edith, drawing your eye to her face and hands as the “reality” of the painting and the golden, jewel-encrusted patterns that surround her act as a kind of “dress” and as a separate, imaginary space that isn’t connected to her at all.

In the image just below that is one that I drew up pretty quickly in Photoshop just so you can see the difference. Is your response any different to the patternless image?

You may  prefer  a painting that has fewer patterns, but what’s important here is that you understand how pattern changes your response.

Pattern in Op Art

The narrator in this documentary clip sounds a bit hilarious, but the use of pattern and why it’s important in modernist art is discussed heavily.

Pattern in Folk Art

Folk art has long used pattern as a decorative method. Folk arts from many different cultures can be a source of inspiration for contemporary artists.