Bridget Riley Intake (1931) Optical Illusions Bridget Riley Intake (1931)

Op Art Optical Art 1950's to 1960's Optical Art is a mathematically-oriented form of (usually) Abstract art, which uses repetition of simple forms and colors to create vibrating effects, patterns, an exaggerated sense of depth, foreground-background confusion, and other visual effects.  

In a sense all painting is based on tricks of visual perception: using rules of perspective to give the illusion of three-dimensional space, mixing colors to give the impression of light and shadow, and so on. With Optical Art, the rules that the eye applies to makes sense of a visual image are themselves the "subject" of the artwork.

The Inner diamond appears to hop

The depth seems to shift and tilt

Look at the center, the ring appears to rotate and the other areas appear to rotate in the opposite direction.

Watch the circles spin in opposite directions

Vertical rows hop up and down

Bridget Riley is one of Britain’s best-known artists Bridget Riley is one of Britain’s best-known artists. Since the mid-1960s she has been celebrated for her distinctive, optically vibrant paintings which actively engage the viewer’s sensations and perceptions, producing visual experiences that are complex and challenging, subtle and arresting. Riley’s subject matter is restricted to a simple vocabulary of colors and abstract shapes. These form her starting point and from them she develops formal progressions, color relationships and repetitive structures. The effect is to generate sensations of movement, light and space.

Bridget Riley Bridget Riley Orient 4, 1970 Acrylic on Canvas, 88x127 in. Bridget Riley Arrest 1, 1965 Emulsion on Canvas, 70x681/4 in.

Victor Vasarely Victor Vasarely (1906-1997) Internationally recognized as one of the most important artists of the 20th century. He is the acknowledged leader of the Op Art movement, and his innovations in color and optical illusion have had a strong influence on many modern artists. In 1947, Vasarely discovered his place in abstract art. He concluded that "internal geometry" could be seen below the surface of the entire world. He conceived that form and color are inseparable. "Every form is a base for color, every color is the attribute of a form." Forms from nature were thus transposed into purely abstract elements in his paintings.

Victor Vasarely

MC Escher Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972) is one of the world's most famous graphic artists. His art is enjoyed by millions of people all over the world, as can be seen on the many web sites on the internet. M.C. Escher, during his lifetime, made 448 lithographs, woodcuts and wood engravings and over 2000 drawings and sketches. Like some of his famous predecessors, - Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci, Dürer and Holbein-, M.C. Escher was left-handed.

MC Escher: Tesselations

“ I am driven by the irresistible pleasure I feel in repeating the same figures over and over again.” -M.C. Escher

MC Escher

Grading Completed Assignment (Due: 5.14.14)……………………____/30pts Knowledge Op Art………………………………………_____/20pts Knowledge of Acrylic paints……………………………_____/10pts Knowledge of Color and Value……………………….._____/10pts Written Synopsis of artist and your artwork…………_____/15pts Creativity…………………………………………...…………______/5pts Neat and Accurate Work…………….…………………..…______/10pts

MC Escher Apart from being a graphic artist, M.C. Escher illustrated books, designed tapestries, postage stamps and murals. He was born in Leeuwarden, the Netherlands, as the fourth and youngest son of a civil engineer. After 5 years the family moved to Arnhem where Escher spent most of his youth. After failing his high school exams, Maurits ultimately was enrolled in the School for Architecture and Decorative Arts in Harlem After finishing school, he traveled extensively through Italy, where he met his wife Jetta Umiker, whom he married in 1924. They settled in Rome, where they stayed until 1935. During these 11 years, Escher would travel each year throughout Italy, drawing and sketching for the various prints he would make when he returned home.

MC Escher He played with architecture, perspective and impossible spaces. His art continues to amaze and wonder millions of people all over the world. In his work we recognize his keen observation of the world around us and the expressions of his own fantasies. M.C. Escher shows us that reality is wondrous, comprehensible and fascinating.