Optical Art

Op art, short for optical art, is a style of visual art that uses optical illusions.

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Op Artists use shapes, colours and patterns in special ways to create images that look as if they are moving or blurring.Typically, Op Art give the viewer the impression of movement, hidden images and vibrating patterns.

This is Bridget Riley. She grew up in England in the 1930’s by the seaside. She would go to the beach and watch the water moving and it inspired her to create her paintings that seemed to move!

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When Bridget Riley first exhibited her black and white abstract paintings in the 1960s, people were amazed at how they seemed to move. It was like she was painting with electricity and the patterns were live wires!

Bridget Riley’s paintings seem complex visually but they are actually quite simple! They are mostly made up of repeating lines and shapes with different colors filled in.

For today’s project we will be creating our own Optical Art that gives a sense of movement using simple lines and alternating colors.