Bridget Riley - a Dizzying Retrospective of 70 years
A retrospective of British artist Bridget Riley is at the Hayward Gallery in London. Riley's graphic style is iconic; one-part mesmerising and two-parts vertigo-inducing.
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| Centre: Nataraja |
I visited this exhibition back in November and have only just had time to write up the experience while finding a free afternoon over the Christmas break. Looking back through the photos, I remember feeling that there was something furiously 60s about her paintings, particularly the bold monochromatic pieces and the vibrant canvases in colour.
It was during the 1960s that Riley first exhibited her works but she has continued to adapt and explore her art up to present day. Riley's artwork is made from simple geometric forms that create movement on the canvas; an action is created simply by looking.
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| Movement In Squares |
The movement in which Riley was a leading figure is called 'Op Art', defined as:
'a major development of painting in the 1960s that used geometric forms to create optical effects' (https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/o/op-art).
The colour and shape combinations assembled on the canvas can at times make you dizzy, and as the Senior Curator of the Hayward Gallery states, her work is 'alive with flutters of colour'.
'a major development of painting in the 1960s that used geometric forms to create optical effects' (https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/o/op-art).
The colour and shape combinations assembled on the canvas can at times make you dizzy, and as the Senior Curator of the Hayward Gallery states, her work is 'alive with flutters of colour'.
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| Composition with Circles |
In true Hayward Gallery-style, the exhibition lets the works speak for themselves with the paintings presented in a minimalist manner. It was developed with the artist herself, in partnership with National Galleries of Scotland. The exhibition moves from her limited palette of black and white works into her canvases in colour, and finally to her recent wall paintings.
On display is the only three-dimensional work that the artist ever created, where the visitor moves through a winding structure decorated in a dizzying print. Some of Riley's tests on paper that offer insight into her method are exhibited, along with some early paintings inspired by Impressionists that developed her understanding of colour and perception (see below images).
On display is the only three-dimensional work that the artist ever created, where the visitor moves through a winding structure decorated in a dizzying print. Some of Riley's tests on paper that offer insight into her method are exhibited, along with some early paintings inspired by Impressionists that developed her understanding of colour and perception (see below images).
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| Riley's notes on one of her tests |
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| Riley's Impressionist explorations |
With little to read in the way of context or labels, pleasure is borne simply through the action of looking and the optical tricks that this creates. This exhibition demonstrates Riley's success in devising these remarkable illusions.
This exhibition closes at the end of January so do not miss out!
https://www.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/exhibitions/hayward-gallery-art/bridget-riley
* All content, including photos are my own.
