Bridget Riley, Movement in Squares, 1961

Op-art (optical-art) is stark, often minimal art that plays on optical illusion. While the idea of optical illusion art might immediately make you think of those Magic Eye books from the 90's, there is no hidden picture in these that you need to cross your eyes to see. But rather when simply viewing the art, looking at the canvases, the viewer gets the impression of movement, warping or flashing.

If you think of op-art and imagine some vague notion of a 60's mod, psychedelic aesthetic, you are on the right track. Much of this art was produced during the early 60's and did later get co-opted by the mainstream at large in various commercial contexts. Bridget Riley, an original op-artist tried to (unsuccessfully) sue a company for using her art as fabric design.

Riley was truly one of the foremost op-art artists. Her perfected canvases of black and white moving images are what made her famous. Also with their debut, her pieces were said to have induced intense feelings in some viewers, from sea-sickness to the sensation of sky-diving. This brings a new aspect of audience participation to art, the viewer actually becoming a part of the art. This easily lends itself to the counter-culture of the early 1960's and the phenomenon of the "happening"-- which originally meant performances or events as art. Riley eventually became disenchanted with op-art because of it's super popularity.

But op-art was not always mainstream. The style of art is said to have derived from the German school of art, Bauhaus. Some pieces that are considered to be op-art date all the way back to the 30's.

But it was in the 60's that the movement was ready to blossom. In 1965 The Museum of Modern Art showcased many works of op art in a show called "The Responsive Eye." Op-artists as well as other minimal artists such as Frank Stella and Ellsworth Kelley were featured. The public went wild over the showing, but critics were less than enthused, thinking that the art was simply a novelty.

So how does op-art work? One way that the illusion is created is best seen in Briget Riley's Current, where the black and white lines are wavy and placed very close together, it is the pattern and line that creates the illusion. Op-art pieces are often black and white. Color paintings use the same technique but also use contrasting colors to really make the paintings pop.

So why not bring this psychedelic pop into your home? Comission Oil Painting Express for an op-art inspired piece. While they may have been super mainstream at one time, op-art now looks completely retro, but also tends to stay out of the kitch territory, keeping some of it's original cool and chic-ness. Hang it in your house where people can spend some time gazing into and finding that sky-diving rush, it is a conversation piece for sure!