Bridget Riley

“Focusing isn't just an optical activity; it is also a mental one.” – Bridget Riley Who is Bridget Riley? Bridget Riley is a British artist, best known for her work in the OP art movement. Riley was born in South London in 1931. When War broke out in 1939 she was evacuated to safety. She has said this early childhood exposure had affected her artistic vision for life. She study art at Royal College of Art from 1952-1953. In 1956 she went to an art exhibition of American Abstract Expressionism art at Tate Gallery. It was the first exhibition of its kind and tremendously impacted her creative thinking. This triggered her to start experimenting with painting. After returning from Italy she began her first OP Art paintings. These paintings were a majority of black and white geometric shapes. The patterned paintings played on the quirks of sight which allowed the viewer to experience an optical illusion. 1965, Riley’s paintings were shown in an exhibition called “The Responsive Eye.” This exhibition showcased OP Art, and was the big break that threw Riley into celebrity status. Riley’s OP painting were in a majority of black and white until 1967 when she started to introduce color. …show more content…
“The Emergence of Coulor” was created around 1967. This series included “Cataract 3” which was a piece that held most of her OP Art styled work but had a hint of red seemingly interwoven into the design of the pattern. From that point of Riley started spiraling into an increasing use of color in her paintings. Her next series “Colour in Action” Was a nice transitional period with works like “Zing One” which were a cross between Her OP and the next series she would create. Though these works were a little more placid they still help an odd resemblance to an optical illusion. These painting were usually restricted in the color