Optical Art

Optical Art

   
      Op art is used as a short form of the art movement known as optical art. This art is a style of visual art that brings optical illusion into play. Audience that view an op art will be given an impression of movement, buried images, flashing and vibration, and pattern. Op art is derived from the constructivist practices of the Bauhaus.

     
     The term "Op" first appeared in print in Time magazine in October 1964. In 1965, William C. Seitz held an exhibition called The Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The exhibition focused on the perceptual aspects of art, which is a result from both the illusion of movement and the interaction of colour relationships. The exhibition pleased the general public but not the critics. According to critics, Op art was just tricks that fool the human eye. However, Op art's popularity with the public increased. This art was also then used in a number of commercial contexts.

How Does Op Art Work?

 

    There are two primary ways to create Op art. The most famous method is the creation of effects using pattern and line. These paintings are usually in black-and-white. For example, Bridget Riley's painting, Current (1964). 

                                                                                      Current (1964)

     The second method is similar to the first method but it uses different contrasting colours instead of just black-and-white. An example of a painting that uses this concept would be ‘the temple’ created by Richard Anuszkiewicz.

Temple by Richard Anuszkiewicz

                                                                           

Colour Interaction

   There are three major classes of the interaction of colour :

• Simultaneous contrast - takes place when one area of color is surrounded by another area of a different color.
• Successive contrast - first one colour is viewed and then another.
• Reverse contrast - the lightness of white or the darkness of black may seem to spread into neighboring regions.

Simultaneous contrast

 

Successive Contrast

Reverse Contrast

 Elements Of Design

 Line: wavy, vertical, and horizontal lines.
  
Shape: involves symmetrical and geometrical shapes  (squares,rectangles, circles).

Colour: Black-and-white and highly contrasting colours

Texture: Smooth
  
Repetition: Repeting shapes, patterns and lines.


    
    The two artists that were very much influenced by Op art were Josef Albers and Bridget Riley.

       Josef Albers (1888-1976) was one of the leading artists and art and design teachers of the 20th century. His emphasis was on color as a medium in its own right. He was a German-born abstract artist that redefined the art education through his development of the colour theory. Albers' colour theory focused on shifting nature of colour in relation to its contexts. For instance, colours blurring and vibrating when placed next to one another, modifying in tonal intensity, and deepening into three-dimensional space. 

                                                     Homage to the Square (1965)

     Albers called his color theory paintings "platters to serve color," as color became his source of knowledge and mystery. Through his explorations of color values, contrasts, repetition and relationships, Albers developed multiple innovative ways for the viewer to comprehend his works.

      Besides Albers, Bridget Riley's (April 24, 1931-present) paintings were also very much influenced by Op art. Bridget Riley was born in Norwood, South London. Between the years of 1949 and 1955 she studied at Goldsmiths College and at the Royal College for Art. She began painting Op Art in the early 1960′s. She explores optical phenomena either by using a chromatic technique of identifiable hues or by selecting achromatic colors (black, white or gray). By doing so, her work appears to flicker and move, encouraging the viewer’s visual tension. Riley’s vibrant optical pattern paintings, which she painted in the 1960s, were hugely popular and become a hallmark of the period. During the 1970′s, she moved away from black and white and started using more color.

                                                                                    Cataract

    However, I personally prefer her black-and-white painting. They are perfect examples of motion in Op Art.

                                                                                Movement In Squares, 1961

          Op art offers something in post-Modern and contemporary art for people who love powerful use of concepts like geometry, line, color, and pattern. 

References :

http://www.ehow.com/facts_5285499_albers-color-theory.html

http://www.arthistory.net/artstyles/opart/opart1.html

http://www.answers.com/topic/op-art

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_Bridget_riley%27s_Movement_in_squares