Op Art is short for Optical Art. It refers to art that creates a perceptual illusion in the frame. This is usually achieved by the calculated placement of a repeated object or motif. Sometimes with scale and angular distortion. In viewing Op Art, the relationship between figure and ground is distorted. The work is usually done with little color or black, grey, and white.
Op Art creates optical movement with lines or shapes that appear to shift, transform, or shimmer in the frame.
While interest in optical effects goes back to the 1920s with Marcel Duchamp’s rotating discs, the term ‘Op Art’ was coined in the ’60s when more artists explored optical techniques. At that time, an exhibition called The Responsive Eye drew a lot of attention to the method.
M.C. Escher is one artist who famously used optical illusion in his art.
Exploring ideas on creativity through digital art.
