Fragment 2 1965

Bridget Riley made this Fragment 2, probably with paint, as a study in optical effects. Just look at the way those lines vibrate and pulse. You might think the image is moving! The beauty of Riley’s work is in its deceptive simplicity. She’s using just black and white, but the way she carefully curves and repeats those lines creates this amazing sense of depth and motion. Look at the bottom of the image. Do you see how the lines become wider and more open? It almost feels like the image is breathing, expanding right before your eyes. Riley is like a scientist of perception. She wants us to understand how our eyes and brains work together to create our experience of the world. It’s like she’s saying, “Hey, seeing isn’t just a passive thing, it’s an active process of interpretation.” You might think of Victor Vasarely, who like Riley, also explored the possibilities of Op Art. Ultimately, Riley reminds us that art is all about questions, not answers.