1950's to 1960's
Optical Art is a mathematically-oriented form of (usually) Abstract art,
which uses repetition of simple forms and colors to create vibrating effects,
moiré patterns, an exaggerated sense of depth, foreground-background
confusion, and other visual effects. In a sense all painting is based on
tricks of visual perception: using rules of perspective to give the illusion
of three-dimensional space, mixing colors to give the impression of light and
shadow, and so on. With Optical Art, the rules that the eye applies to
makes sense of a visual image are themselves the "subject" of the
artwork. In the mid-20th century, artists such as
Josef Albers,
Victor Vasarely, and
M.C. Escher
experimented with Optical Art. Escher's work, although not abstract, also
deals extensively with various forms of visual tricks and paradoxes. In the
1960's, the term "Op Art" was coined to describe the work of a growing group
of abstract painters. This movement was led by Vasarely and
Bridget Riley.