Op art

Op art is a term used to described certain paintings made primarily in the 1960s which exploit the fallibilty of the eye through the use of optical illusions.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Op art works are usually abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in only black and white. When the viewer looks at them, the impression is given of movement, flashing and vibration, or alternatively of swelling or warping.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The term first appeared in print in Time Magazine in October 1964, though works which might now be described as "op art" had been produced for several years previously. It has been suggested that Victor Vasarely's 1930s works such as Zebra (1938), which is made up entirely of diagonal black and white stripes curved in a way to give a three-dimensional impression of a seated zebra, should be considered the first works of op art.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In 1965, a show called The Responsive Eye, made up entirely of works of op art, was held in New York City. This show did a great deal to make op art prominent, and many of the artists now considered important in the style exhibited there. Op art subsequently became tremendously popular, and op art images were used in a number of commercial contexts. Bridget Riley tried to sue an American company, without success, for using one of her paintings as the basis of a fabric design.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Bridget Riley is perhaps the best known of the op artists. Taking Vasarely's lead, she made a number of paintings consisting only of black and white lines. Rather than giving the impression of some real-world object, however, Riley's paintings frequently give the impression of movement or colour.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Riley later produced works in full colour, and other op artists have worked in colour as well, although these works tend to be less well known. Violent contrasts of colour are sometimes used to produce similar illusions of movement.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Other noted op artists include Jes?s-Rafael Soto, Cruz Diez, Youri Messen-Jaschin, Julio Leparque, M.C. Escher, Julian Stanczak and Richard Anuszkiewicz.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Painting: Painting is the practice of applying pigment suspended in a carrier (or medium) and a binding agent (a glue) to a surface (support) such as paper, canvas or a wall. This is done by a painter; this term is used especially if this is his or her profession. Evidence indicates that humans have been pai...

1960s: The 1960s, or The Sexy Sixties, in its most obvious sense refers to the decade between 1960 and 1969, but the expression has taken on a wider meaning over the past twenty years. The Sixties has come to refer to the complex of inter-related cultural and political events which occurred in approximatel...

Optical illusion: An optical illusion is a type of illusion characterized by visually perceived images that are deceptive or misleading http://www.answers.com/topic/optical-illusion. Information gathered by the eye is interpreted by the brain to give the perception that something is present when it is not. There are ...

Op art related Images and Photos (experimental)

Art	Art Expo (green)	Art Attack	POM Art
Tile Art 1	Art Deco Retro	Zebra Art	Pop Art is: Popeye
Art of War, The (DVD)	Sketch-Art LED Art Pad	Pop Art is: Personengruppe	Pop Art Owl