Studie 130 1933

Hans Hinterreiter made Studie 130 in 1933, and it's just bubbling with overlapping colours and shapes, a real process piece. Look at the texture, the layering of what seems to be gouache or watercolour. Transparent washes, built up to create depth. He wasn't hiding the process. You can see each individual mark that builds up the image. It's almost like a quilt made of geometric pinwheels. The palette, too, is kind of limited but so effective: purple, mauve, and a soft grey, creating a mesmerizing optical effect. There is something about the central mark of each circle that pulls you in, like looking down a well. This vortex is echoed throughout the piece, each interlocking circle pulling you into the next. I see a real relationship with the later Op artists, who were also exploring how colour and geometry can trick the eye and expand our perception. But Hinterreiter’s Studie has something more homespun about it, a real human touch.