Vega-Bleu 1968

This artwork is titled "Vega-Bleu" by Victor Vasarely, a grid of blue squares surrounded by grey that feel like they are in motion. I get a real kick out of this. You can tell that Vasarely meticulously set out the image, that it emerged through trial, error, and intuition. Look at the point where two dark grey lines meet—does the artist waver? Does the pattern shift? I imagine him trying to keep it together. It must have been incredibly difficult to bring this vision into being. What a trip to imagine making it, and such satisfaction when, or if, it works. The effect is dazzling, as the painting seems to shift and breathe before my eyes. It reminds me of the work of Bridget Riley, who used hard-edged abstraction to similar effect. We artists are in an ongoing conversation with one another. It’s so cool.