Movement Op' Art

The term “Op Art" was first coined in Time Magazine in 1964, to describe Julian Stanczak's exhibition Optical Paintings at the Martha Jackson Gallery. The article defined this new genre as a "new movement of optical art that has appeared in the Western world and which plays and abuses the fallibility of vision." “Op Art" describes all types of art based on optical illusions or visual tricks. Op artists distort viewers' vision by producing images that appear to move, are hidden, flash or vibrate. To do this, artists create visual effects through pattern and line to establish a juxtaposition between the foreground and background, resulting in a contradictory perceptual experience.

It wasn't long before Op Art was commercialised; designers, illustrators and advertisers adopted this unique style to create posters, furniture, record and book covers. Throughout the 1960s, shops were filled with Op-Art-inspired clothing, and interiors were adorned with Vasarely-style wallpaper. This merging of Op Art and popular culture arguably discredited the movement, reducing it to a passing fashion and design phase. However, today the movement is increasingly being appreciated for its contribution to fine art, and the Centre Pompidou even dedicated a major retrospective to Victor Vasarely in 2019. Galleries are filling their walls with hypnotising optical illusions, and are beginning to appreciate the complicated yet beautiful artworks of the Op Art movement.

Victor Vasarely

Vasarely is representative of the Space Age: a time where by the year 2000 many thought we would be wearing astronaut suits and loading up the space ship for the school run.

His use of geometric patterns, opposing colour and complicated perceptions test the limits of our vision, and established his position as an artist in the contemporary art world. In his famous series, Vega, Vasarely depicts the depths of space, the magnitude of planets and the momentousness of galaxies through an intricate composition of line and shape. His works are emblematic of possibility; influencing not only fellow artists but also popular culture as a whole.

Bridget Riley

Heavily influenced by George Seurat, Riley developed her distinctive style in the 1950s. Riley quickly established herself on the art scene and in 1964, her work, Currrent, featured in The Exponsive Eye exhibition organised by MoMA. Although her geometric black and white canvases were reminiscent of Vasarely's works, she was considered one of the leading figures in Op Art.

Maybe your parents or grandparents claim Op Art is no longer relevant, since they've certainly had their fill of psychedelic swirls and mind-altering patterns. However, here at Artsper, we're keen to reintroduce hallucinatory artworks into your life, so rediscover Vasarely and the best Op-Art-inspired contemporary artists we have to offer!

Search by Image

Save your search and find it in your favorites

1/10 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Categories

Subcategories

Movement Op' Art

Operenccia

Oval – black

Integration System P01 FP377YYF

Star of David - Abstract Illusionism

Naissance 1

Planète carré II

Couleur additive série 14

Ocean

Beyond the Visible

Mass

Colored Waves

Hypercube_Variation1

Miroir d'Artistes

Beyond the Visible (multi dimensional tower sculpture)

Mobile translucide orange

L'Etrange

Multiple S

Se4

Juxtapose Red and Gray Diptych

Grey wave

Chromointerference Circulaire B

Sans titre

Summer Suite (Red with Gold IV)

Sans titre

Subtractive Variability Compact 2

Molten ice flow

Set of 6 Orquídeas

Orange filled Moon II

Spazzio fratturato

Cubos Transparencia 2 (Framed)

UP23_63

Mareas

Coils 24

Grill

VP155

Aparejo #1

Lanterne Volante

Rilievo Ottico Cinetico

Lichtreflex Rotation

Portrait Fragmenta v 01.4

N°102 - série sculpture murale

Slip Side 2

The Sky is Dreaming I

Le Théâtre électrique

Chromadynamica #95

Meltwater

Landscape

Light in the darkness

Rainbow Star of David

Sfera Antares

Mini Chorus 1

Landscape#1

Compact Maradona

Surfin

Space Odyssey One

Crabe en panier

Frida

Yin

Nostalgie

Interwoven Colors

Kootorojüin

The Flames Dance Between Past Present & Future

Liberta I

Mrs Ka. [?] v1.3

Naissance 2

Two Tigers on Green