OP Art
Try to count the number of black dots below.
Op Art
• Developed in the
1950s-60s
• Op Art uses equal
values of contrasting
colors to cause the
viewers eye to move
involuntarily.
• This was a total
Abstract form of
art.
• Hard-edge painting- style of art in which the
artist uses crisp edges. No brushstrokes.
• Abstract Art- a style of art that shows objects
in simplified arrangements of shape, line,
texture, and color. Often geometric.
Op Art Elements & Principles
1. Balance: is it symmetrical or asymmetrical?
2. Pattern: “Multiplicity of Simplicity”…using the
same simple pattern over and over and over…
3. Color: Not necessary, high contrast of black
and white gives powerful result.
4. Assimilation: our tendency to minimize things
and make them appear uniform.
5. Contrast: exaggerating differences.
6. Negative & Positive: negative surrounds
positive, it is behind the figure. Positive is
the figure.
7. Line- always gives us positive space. It is an
abstract concept.
8. Multiple grouping- when we are confronted
by several stimuli and how we organize it.
9. Good figure- the perceptual ability to predict
the total entity from minimum information.
10. Proximity- objects that are near one another
have a tendency to group.
11. Similarity- all similar things have a tendency
to group.
Op Artists
Josef Albers
Bridget Riley
Victor Vasarely
M.C. Escher