Zig-Zag 1986

Curator: Victor Vasarely's "Zig-Zag," created in 1986 using acrylic paint, pulls the viewer into a dizzying landscape of optical illusion. Editor: Whoa, that’s intense! It’s like staring into a vortex of geometric shapes. The purple and black feel almost hypnotic, like a funhouse mirror bending reality. Curator: Absolutely. Vasarely, a key figure in the Op Art movement, meticulously structured this piece using a pattern of repeating diamond shapes that warp and shift across the canvas. The acrylic medium allowed for precise color application and clean lines, contributing to the painting's striking visual effect. Think about how the pattern would be developed and mass-produced. Editor: Mass produced...right, this is almost too perfect. But it almost tricks your eye, right? Like, are those shapes actually curving or is it just how they're arranged? It feels like a question the artist poses to each person who stands before it. Curator: That's the genius of Op Art. The interplay of form, color, and light creates the sensation of movement and depth. But there is a certain commentary to its production. Vasarely challenged the traditional idea of the unique art object, anticipating its easy distribution. This work can be seen to anticipate and embrace the logic of production that characterizes today's media environment. Editor: It makes me think about that shift in perception, and the art world, I like how you positioned that...I also think there's something playful about tricking the eye with flat shapes. I imagine Vasarely grinning, thinking "I got you!". Curator: Certainly, that tension exists between the conceptual premise of how we perceive art and the sheer accessibility created via the chosen method and material to make and circulate art. Editor: Yeah. I feel almost off-balance after looking at it for a few minutes! I'll keep it moving for now... Curator: Yes, maybe best not to spend all day thinking in diamond shapes, no matter how elegantly presented or distributed... Thanks for considering it with me.