Constellations #1 1958 - 1961

Victor Vasarely made this artwork, Constellations #1, with its cool blues and grays, to evoke a sense of space, structure, and systematic pattern. I can imagine Vasarely carefully planning out the arrangements of each square and circle. It's almost mathematical, but there's something playful about it, too, like the way the circles increase in size as if they are emerging from the darkness, moving towards the light, or expanding out of some unseen force. I think this piece is about perception and how our eyes play tricks on us. Are the circles really getting bigger, or is it just an illusion? Does it feel like the grid might fold in on itself? It reminds me of Bridget Riley, with its optical illusions. Both artists remind us that the act of seeing is not just a passive reception of information but an active process of interpretation. It's a dance between what's on the canvas and what's in our minds.