Bridget Riley is considered the "Mother of Op-Art" for her pioneering abstract paintings from the 1960s that use optical illusions to appear to move or vibrate. Op Art uses precise arrangements of lines, shapes, and colors to trick the eye into perceiving movement or depth in two-dimensional images. Riley was born in London in 1931 and had her first solo art show in 1962, helping to popularize Op Art during the 1960s with works like Arrest 1, Pause, and Cataract that explore optical effects through simple black and white patterns.

1. Op Art
Bridget Riley

2. What is Op Art?
Op Art, short for Optical Art, is art that is
composed to ‘fool the eye’ into thinking that
a 2 dimensional drawing appears 3
dimensional.
Line, shape and color are careful chosen and
precisely put together to make your brain
think that the painting or drawing has
movement.
It became popular in the 1960’s and is still
created by artists today.

3. Bridget Riley
“The Mother of Op-Art”
• Bridget Riley was born
in 1931 in London and
spent her childhood in
Cornwall and Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire.
• She went to college in
London from 1949 to
1955. Her first solo
art show was in 1962.
Cornwall London

4. Arrest 1

5. Pause

6. Cataract

7. Descending

8. Movement in Squares

9. Orient

10. Intake

11. Fall