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!

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Movement Op' Art

Boule 4

Boule 3

Boule 2

Boule 1

Prismograph "Sun and Moon"

Optical orange

Colón. (Framed)

Congreso Panamericano de Carreteras

Folding

Color Thinking Composition PS31

Samscara

Fréquence

Ovoïde

Azuré

Aparejo #1 and #2 Diptych

Subtractive Variability P2

Subtractive Variability P1

Se4

Se1 bis

Se2

Message of peace

Bloques Huecos 3, Isodomo Bloques, Picos Tercio Triptych

Picos Tercio, Esfera transparencia 3 and Cubos Transparencia 3. Framed

Bloques, Cubos Huecos, Picos Intercalados 2. Framed

Set of 3 Abstract Drawings. Framed

Plano Bloques, Espiga, Bloques. Framed

Isodomo, Gotico, Belga, and Isodomo Grilla

Bloques Desalineado 2, Espejo, and Regular. Framed

Set of 4 Abstract Drawings. From the series Illusions of the Line

Set of 4 Abstract Drawing on paper

Deep blue composition

Étude

Halley

Blue Hole

Guia DHL

Guia USPS

Guia Fedex

Herbert Bayer

Roberto burle Marx

The dark side of the conscience

Curved Sign

Sliced circles on a blue sky background

Over there

Pink composition

Sans titre

Cluster

Bleu outremer

Anverso Derecha 100 / 500 Valor Real Diptych

Set of 3 Abstract Drawing on paper. Framed

Muscícapa

Estructura Gradual Doble.

Esfera Cubos 2. From The Illusions of the Line Series

200 Valor Real

Movimientos Geometricos 9

300K, 100 obverse left and right. watermelon note diptych

In Vino Veritas

Mechanical Angel

Sans titre

Playing card 2S - Diamond set circles

Lifting the veil of the arcane

Gateway to the blue

Circle squared

Circle lost in lines

Open Sea

Playing card 2F - Flying spheres

Allegory