Celtic Pattern: Visual Rhythms of the Ancient Mind

Wooden Books

by Adam Tetlow

Celtic art beguiles the eye and sings to the heart. It is grounded in the mystical understanding of number. In Celtic Pattern , author and artist Adam Tetlow makes accessible the complexities of this ancient tradition. He answers the myriad of questions surrounding the How do you draw Celtic knot work? What re the secrets of keys? What do these patterns actually mean? Who drew them? Where did they come from? In a book as beautifully designed as it is original, and full of illustrations by the author and rare engravings, Tetlow shows us the hidden principles behind the ancient magical science of Celtic artwork.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, History, Design, Mathematics

64 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2013

Reviews

[Rian Bolger · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe it's my fault for not skimming this properly when I picked it up in the National Museum. I got the impression it'd be more about the meaning of these patterns rather than the mathematics. But it certainly gives you an appreciation for the intelligence and familiarity with geometry these artists had.

It would be unfair to rate it poorly on something I thought the book was going to be, rather than what it is. But I found that, when this does attempt to provide some information beyond the geometries of these patterns, it makes odd, sweeping claims that are backed up with little clarification, let alone evidence. One such instance claims that these patterns brought Celts closer to "The Goddess." Which Goddess? Your guess is as good as mine!

Hope this would give me some neat symbolism to work with for my own writing, alas.

[Marine]

very interesting, remarkable work for such a small book! i loved the appendix pages too. the book was short enough to feel informative, but just spurs me on to read more on these fascinating patterns.
3.5 ★

[Mia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspirational but not instructive per se. An easy train / airport read for me, it was enjoyable.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

The maths went absolutely over my head but the designs were awesome and the history fascinating

[Kitty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enough history and cultural explainer to be interesting, but not too much to overpower the tutorial aspect of it. This is a book more for learning how and not necessarily learning what and why.

[Darlene · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this thinking it would be mostly a how to draw different Celtic artforms. While there is some of that, it's not step by step. Instead it is more mystical/historical in nature. Looking at all the pictures is quite inspirational; it makes you want to run out and buy a compass set and some graphing paper.