Pauk-SP 1968 - 1969

Victor Vasarely made this painting, titled 'Pauk-SP', with what looks like pretty flat color and hard edges. What I notice first is how the whole composition seems to be built on a simple repeated shape, echoed and amplified, which builds the whole image through the repetition of its form. I can almost feel the flatness of the paint and the texture seems super smooth, like it was maybe done with stencils. It’s cool how Vasarely used color shifts within each shape, going from light to dark to trick your eye into seeing depth where there isn't any. I like how that red diamond at the top makes the whole thing kind of pulse. It's like he's playing with how we see, making a very cool painting out of something so straightforward. This piece reminds me a bit of Bridget Riley’s work because it also messes with perception and creates optical illusions. But where Riley feels more organic, Vasarely is all about that clean, geometric vibe, showing how simple forms can create complex visual experiences, always keeping us guessing about what we're actually seeing.