Moorish Architecture , M.C. Escher, and Symmetry

Wednesday, April 16, 2025

3:00 PM-4:00 PM

Speaker: David Reimann, National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath). Join the Drexel Mathematics Department as we view the iconic patterns of visual artist M.C. Escher through the lens of group theory, one of the great mathematical accomplishments of the 19th century. This talk will include many pictures of Escher's works and the Moorish architecture that inspired him.

The mathematical structure of symmetrical patterns can be studied using group theory. The Moors built many magnificent buildings richly decorated with geometric patterns during their rule of the Iberian peninsula (711-1492). The graphic artist Maurits Cornelis (M.C.) Escher visited southern Spain in 1922 and was captivated by the patterns that richly decorate the architecture of the Alhambra, Alcazar, and other Moorish buildings. After a second visit to Spain in 1935, Escher became obsessed with creating patterns of interlocking figures based on these elaborate tiling patterns. While Escher had no formal mathematical training, he used mathematical methods grounded in scientific literature to study these patterns.

Contact Information

Kenneth Hemphill, Mathematics Department Administrator
kh467@drexel.edu