Op Art! Where Optical Illusion & Art Meet

Visually engaging, trippy, and full of movement, Op Art is a unique style of art developed in the 1960’s.  By using patterns and contrasting colors Op Art artists created two-dimensional works of art that play tricks on the eye.  Some works appear to go on forever while others swell and undulate before your eyes.  A truly 20th century style, Op Art borrowed bright colors and intense graphics from Pop Art and Space Age design.  By utilizing color theory, geometric patterns, and perspective, Op Artists created amazing optical illusions.

 

Two striking Op Art works were added to our Online Store.  Richard Anuszkiewicz’s geometric work is composed of multiple nesting pastel rectangles on a sunflower yellow ground.  Due to careful use of line width and color the rectangles almost appear to pulsate as if beating. Anuszkiewicz was a Russian-American painter who by the end of the 1960’s, “was the leading Op painter in America, enjoying international reputation.”

 

Victor Vasarely’s geometric serigraph is in black, white, and grey – colors commonly used by Op artists.  At first glance, the piece looks graphic and repetitive, but as the eye lingers the columns of circles begin to jump around, circles appear to become ovals and vice versa.  Vasarely is “widely regarded as the father of Op Art.” 

Visit our online store today to view the pieces and add them to your collection!

To learn more about Victor Vasarely visit https://www.artsy.net/artist/victor-vasarely

Sources:

http://www.richardanuszkiewicz.com/essay

http://www.vasarely.com/site/site.htm

http://www.artnet.com/artists/victor-vasarely/

http://www.theartstory.org/movement-op-art.htm