Penrose Tiling #1 explores visual complexity and perceptual rhythm. Rendered in oil on an oblong canvas, Penrose Tiling #1 is a tessellation of rhombus-shaped units arranged in a Penrose tiling—a non-periodic pattern. The composition overall resists repetition while maintaining structural coherence. One visual element of note is how the elongated horizontal format enhances the sense of spatial drift, as the eye navigates the interlocking forms and their directional cues.
Color gradations are also noteworthy. These play a central role in animating the surface. Cool blues and warm reds transition through muted pinks and grays, creating a chromatic pulse that evokes both depth and motion. It is because these tonal shifts are not merely decorative that they activate the perceptual geometry. In other words, this element invites viewers to experience the painting as both a static object and a dynamic field.
Penrose Tiling #1 fits within the broader tessellation historical framework and thus is an example of work that serves as a bridge between art and mathematics. In art, this historical expanse includes the intricate tilework of Islamic architecture, the optical experiments of M.C. Escher, and the perceptual investigations of Op Art pioneers like Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley. In mathematics, this kind of non-periodic tiling was named after Roger Penrose who investigated these kinds of sets in the 1970s.
Finally, Penrose Tiling #1 is a distinctly contemporary interpretation of tessellations. In a world of screens and moving images, its painterly execution and conceptual rigor sets it apart. Although flat and static, the work has a kinetic element that challenges viewers to consider movement in a more subtle manner than the digital world. The artwork also suggests the viewer reconsider how we define pattern, perception, and painterly language.
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Amy Ione
Title: Penrose Tiling #1
Date: 2013
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions: 18 x 36 x 1 inches (unframed)
Signed
Catalog Number: 25658
Also see Penrose Tiling #2 and Tessellations in Art and History
In private collection
Exhibitions
2026
Color, Form, Dynamics. Biafarin, August 11-October 11