What is the Op Art movement?
Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions. Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in black and white. It is abstract art in which lines, forms, and space are organized in such a way as to provide optical illusions that create the of three dementionality a flat surface.
Op art, also known as optical art, is a style of visual art that makes use of optical illusions. Op art works are abstract, with many of the better known pieces made in black and white. It is abstract art in which lines, forms, and space are organized in such a way as to provide optical illusions that create the of three dementionality a flat surface.
Famous op artists
Victor Vasarely
It all started with Vasarely’s 1938 painting, Zebra...
Victor Vasarely was Hungarian-French artist credited with having created the Op Art movement. Vasarely’s paintings and sculpture utilized geometrical shapes and colorful graphics to create illusions of spatial depth on two-dimensional surfaces. This abstract method of painting is known as Kineticism.
Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or depends on motion for its effect. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are the earliest examples of kinetic art.
Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or depends on motion for its effect. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are the earliest examples of kinetic art.
Duo- 2 (1967) Artist: Victor Vasarely Artwork description & Analysis: The contrasting warm and cool shades here create the ambiguous illusion of three-dimensional structures. Are they concave, or convex? The illusion is so effective that we are almost led to forget that it is a painted image, and made to think it is a volumetric construction. Although black and white delivered perhaps the most memorable Op images, color also intrigued many Op artists. http://www.theartstory.org/movement-op-art-artworks.htm#pnt_3 |
Bridget Riley
Bridget Riley is a British artist known for her singular Op Art paintings. Riley’s use of gradients and variations in tone sets her practice apart.
Her clean lines create dynamic compositions and visual effects through detailed geometry and careful color arrangements.
Richard Anuszkiewicz
American painter, print-maker, and sculptor born in 1930. Considered a major force in the Op Art movement, Anuszkiewicz is concerned with the optical changes that occur when different high-intensity colors are applied to the same geometric configurations.
Create your own op art
Goal: utilize color and shape to create an op art inspired artwork
As you can see there are many different types of op art, and these are just a few examples. You will be creating your own. Things to consider might be color and the overall composition. Below are some suggested links to step by step tutorials. You are not limited to these.
Student work
suggested option 1
Inflated checker board pattern