MERIKA 1974

Victor Vasarely made "MERIKA" with careful geometric planes and subtle colour shifts. It's like he's built a whole world with just a few shapes, but it feels like the process is more than just mechanical. It’s like a conversation between colours. Look closely at those diamond shapes. They’re not just flat colours; each one seems to have a little gradient, giving the whole piece this wobbly, vibrating energy. The browns melt into the yellows, set against that lavender backdrop. The colour makes you feel like it's breathing. And the texture, or lack thereof, is so smooth it’s almost unreal. There’s no visible brushwork. It's as though the painting just appeared, perfectly formed. Vasarely reminds me a little bit of Bridget Riley, although her work feels more directly connected to the body, where Vasarely is floating in space. Both artists revel in art's ability to mess with your head, and to remind us that seeing is never quite believing.