The checkerboard pattern has had a recent resurgence, but it arguably never went out of style (think: the everlasting elegance of checkered French chateau foyer floors, for example). Characterized by ...

From Brunelleschi’s ingenious design of the dome crowning the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, to the vast ceiling of the Sistine Chapel decorated with Michelangelo’s staggering frescoes, ...