What is recursive subdivision?

Recursive subdivision starts with one shape and splits it into smaller shapes, then splits some of those, and so on, until a stopping point. Because the same simple split rule is applied at every level, you get structured, self-similar compositions, like a Mondrian painting or a subdivided grid.

How is recursive subdivision used in generative art?

It is a staple of generative art. Artists subdivide a canvas into panels with a bit of randomness at each split, then fill the panels with color, texture, or more detail. It gives work an ordered, architectural feel while still surprising you with each run.

recursive subdivision, explained

recursive subdivision takes one shape, splits it into smaller shapes, then splits some of those, and keeps going until it decides to stop. one simple split rule, applied at every level, builds a whole structured composition. the demo below rebuilds itself as you watch. click to grow a fresh one.

click to regenerate

what's actually happening

start with the whole rectangle. flip a coin: split it left-to-right or top-to-bottom, at a slightly random spot. now you have two smaller rectangles. do the same thing to each of them, and to their children, stopping when a piece gets small enough or you've gone deep enough. the same rule, all the way down, is what makes it recursive.

where you'll see it

recursive subdivision is behind a lot of ordered, architectural generative art, the mondrian-style grids, the panelled posters, the quadtrees that image and game engines use to carve up space efficiently.

how gaogao uses subdivision

gaogao has a subdivide gene. when it expresses, it breaks an organism's regions into finer ones, adding structure and detail that a flatter genome wouldn't have. the demo above is that gene, on its own, in the open.

grow one, split by split →