Symmetric complexity and the perceived beauty of wallpaper patterns

The 17 wallpaper patterns have been widely adopted as a form of ornament in many areas of art. Most research on them however has focused on their mathematical properties. Here we partially remedy this by conducting one of the few studies to examine their aesthetic properties. Undergraduates rated the subjective beauty of wallpaper strips presented at vertical and horizontal orientations. The patterns consisted of a right triangle motif to maximize the perceived symmetric mappings. The data were analyzed in terms of the pattern type, the kinds of symmetries they contained and their reflection and rotation properties. There was a trend to prefer wallpapers with rotational symmetries, followed by those with reflection, then glide reflection, and lastly translation. There was also a preference for patterns containing a greater variety of symmetry types. Those with three kinds of symmetries were rated higher than those with two, which were rated higher than those with just one. Symmetry order generally predicted rankings with a distinct preference for orders that produced arrangements of circular motifs.