Bridget Riley
Op Art - The Art of Optical Illusion
What is “Op” Art?
• “Op” is short for optical. Optical
means having to do with the eye.
• You may have heard of an
optometrist. An optometrist is an
eye doctor.
Op Art began in the 1960’s
• Optical Art is a mathematicallythemed form of Abstract art.
Abstract meaning it doesn’t have to
look like something.
• The point of optical art is to
confuse the eye.
Bridget Riley
• Bridget Riley was
born in 1931 in
London.
• Bridget Riley is a well
known creator of Op
Art. Her work is
characterized by its
intensity and its often
disorientating effect.
Bridget Riley
• In 1960, she began
working initially in
black and white
• She evolved a style
in which she
explored the
dynamic effects of
optical phenomena
or Op art.
Movement in Squares, 1961
Tempera
Bridget Riley
• Bridget Riley
Blaze 1, 1962
Emulsion on
Hardboard, 43x43
in.
Bridget Riley
• Bridget Riley
Descending, 1965
Emulsion on
Hardboard, 36x36
in.
Bridget Riley
• Bridget Riley
Arrest 1, 1965
Emulsion on Canvas,
70x681/4 in.
Bridget Riley
• Bridget Riley
Cataract 3, 1967
PVA on Canvas,
87x873/4 in.
Bridget Riley
• Bridget Riley
Orient 4, 1970
Acrylic on Canvas,
88x127 in.
Bridget Riley
• Around the 1980’s
her extensive
exploration of
color and contrast
began.
Dominance Portfolio, Blue, 1977
Bridget Riley
•
Orphean Elegy I
(1978)
Bridget Riley
•
Ease (1987)
Bridget Riley
•
Echo (2000)
Silkscreen
Bridget Riley
•
Carnival (2000)
Silkscreen
Is the ball moving?
Are the intersections white or gray?
Here’s more “Op Art.”
Look at this picture again…

In Op art, the dark colors
recede while the light
colors advance.
Student Created Op Art
6th Grade Mini Lesson
Step One: Draw 34 circles of varying
sizes
Step Two:
Draw a line
vertically down the
middle, then add
curved lines to
each side, make it
symmetrical.
Step Three: Using a ruler, measure out a
checkerboard design for the background. Don’t be
skimpy.
HINT: DO NOT draw too many lines, it will take forever to
color!
Step Four: Choose two colors of colored pencil; high contrasting colors or
complementary colors.
2013- Kids should color the THREE circles with the THREE complementary color sets
each. Black and white background.
The Complementary
should be memorized!
R-G
B-O
Y-V
HINT: Now, use your darker color of marker/cp and mark a small
dot in every second square so you know where to use that color.
DO BACKGROUND AND FOREGROUND (circles)
SEPERATELY!
Color, Color, Color! 
Step Five: For the last magical step, use a piece of charcoal and
outline/shade around one half of the sphere, blending it out with
your finger.
***This helps give the illusion of the sphere 'popping' out of the
background