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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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Sculpture, Zint, Victor Vasarely

Zint

Victor Vasarely

Sculpture - 60 x 50 x 7 cm Sculpture - 23.6 x 19.7 x 2.8 inch

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Painting, Purple vortex, Astro

Purple vortex

Astro

Painting - 130 x 97 x 3 cm Painting - 51.2 x 38.2 x 1.2 inch

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Painting, Rainbow, Astro

Rainbow

Astro

Painting - 116 x 89 x 3 cm Painting - 45.7 x 35 x 1.2 inch

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Fine Art Drawings, Sans titre02, Ji-Yun

Sans titre02

Ji-Yun

Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

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Fine Art Drawings, sans titre01, Ji-Yun

sans titre01

Ji-Yun

Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

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Fine Art Drawings, Brise-Lames Rouge, Ji-Yun

Brise-Lames Rouge

Ji-Yun

Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

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Fine Art Drawings, Boule Percée, Ji-Yun

Boule Percée

Ji-Yun

Fine Art Drawings - 42 x 29.7 x 0.3 cm Fine Art Drawings - 16.5 x 11.7 x 0.1 inch

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Painting, Pyramidal, Astro

Pyramidal

Astro

Painting - 104 x 104 x 7 cm Painting - 40.9 x 40.9 x 2.8 inch

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Print, Quami, Victor Vasarely

Quami

Victor Vasarely

Print - 63.5 x 49 x 0.1 cm Print - 25 x 19.3 x 0 inch

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Painting, Layers 6, Cristina Ghetti

Layers 6

Cristina Ghetti

Painting - 69.9 x 69.9 x 5.1 cm Painting - 27.5 x 27.5 x 2 inch

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Fine Art Drawings, Sebiok IV, Ji-Yun

Sebiok IV

Ji-Yun

Fine Art Drawings - 50 x 32.5 cm Fine Art Drawings - 19.7 x 12.8 inch

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Painting, Sysmo, Cristina Ghetti

Sysmo

Cristina Ghetti

Painting - 61 x 180.3 x 5.1 cm Painting - 24 x 71 x 2 inch

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Print, Night Sky, Dadodu

Night Sky

Dadodu

Print - 70 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Fantail 1, Dadodu

Fantail 1

Dadodu

Print - 70 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Fantail 2, Dadodu

Fantail 2

Dadodu

Print - 70 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Action, Dadodu

Action

Dadodu

Print - 70 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Modular, Dadodu

Modular

Dadodu

Print - 70 x 70 x 0.2 cm Print - 27.6 x 27.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Purple Slide, Dadodu

Purple Slide

Dadodu

Print - 56.5 x 80 cm Print - 22.2 x 31.5 inch

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Print, Pink Wind, Dadodu

Pink Wind

Dadodu

Print - 60 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Blue Wind, Dadodu

Blue Wind

Dadodu

Print - 60 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

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Print, Tassellation 5, Dadodu

Tassellation 5

Dadodu

Print - 60 x 60 x 0.2 cm Print - 23.6 x 23.6 x 0.1 inch

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