Periodic Function | Checking for constituent occurrence Pattern recognition obeys principles Syntactic economy of production |
A principle of art - and probably the universe, pattern relies upon three characteristics: a unit, repetition, and a system of organization. The organization is based on symmetry which provides a system for determining both invariance and change.
By varying relationships within patterns where symmetry is expected, otherwise predictable and repetitive patterns may be transformed. The approximation of symmetry, rather than its precision, can tantalize the mind as it gratifies the eye.
"All around us are facts that are related to one another. Of course, they can be regarded as separate entities and learned that way. But what a difference it makes when we see them as a pattern! . . . They begin to make sense. The world becomes a more comprehensible place."
- Murray Gell-Mann
The areas surrounding the repeat unit explicate the pattern - the negative space defines the positive space as a complementary contradiction. Negative space is more than the absence of something. It has visual mass and weight, and plays an important role in defining the message. That which is must be balanced with that which is not - two primal opposing but harmonizing forces marshaled.
