This document provides information about op art and optical illusions. It defines op art as "optical art" that uses techniques like geometric patterns and contrasting colors to create optical illusions and trick the eye. Examples of op art illusions include works by Bridget Riley that use line and shape to create the illusion of movement. The document also discusses famous op artists like Victor Vasarely and provides examples of their works that employ optical illusions. It suggests options for a student art project to create original op art designs using geometric or organic illusions with colored pencils.

1. What do you notice about these two
pieces of art?
Let’s watch some illusions:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EoUfT_UR8Gc#t=172

2. Op Art


Stands for “Optical
Art”: art that
creates an optical
illusion
Optical illusion: an
image that tricks
your eyes into
seeing something
that’s not there
Example of an optical illusion:
The bar is the exact same gray all
the way across.

3. More optical illusions
Fraser Spiral Illusion: This looks like a
spiral, but it is actually concentric
circles (circles inside of circles, all with
the same center).
Hermann Grid Illusion: Black
dots appear and disappear
very quickly at the
intersections.

4. Op Art:
Do you remember what it stands for?

First started, and most
popular, in the 1960s

Also known as:
 Geometric abstraction
 Hard-edge abstraction
 Perceptual abstraction
Bridget Riley. “Movement in Squares.” 1961.

5. What is Op Art all about?



Optical illusions
Eye-brain
connection
Elements of art:
 Line
 Shape
 space

Principles of design:
 Pattern
 Movement
What is the optical illusion in this
piece? How did the artist,
Bridget Riley, create it?

6. Famous Op Artist: Bridget Riley
Born April 24th, 1931 in
London, England.
Cataract 3, 1967.

7. More of Bridget Riley’s Art
Blaze 3, 1963.
Loss, 1964.

8. Famous Op Artist: Victor Vasarely
Born in 1906 in Hungary, but
lived most of his life in Paris,
France; died in 1997.
He is often claimed as the
father of Op Art.

9. More of Victor Vasarely’s Art
Cheyt-M
Ambigu-B, 1970.

10. Vanishing Point: The point at
which a thing disappears or ceases
to exist
 .
Vanishing Point

11. Vanishing Points?

12. OPTION 1: Geometric Op Art
created by students

13. More student work
* Where
are the
vanishing
points?

22. OPTION 2: ORGANIC OP ART
*Free flowing wavy lines. Less straight and rigid.

25. These are just ideas! You will have to include at
least 3 colors.

27. Option 3: You can also combine Geometric with Organic!

29. -You will be using colored pencils to
complete this project!
NO! Scribbly lines and not bold!
YES! Bold colors – Press hard with
colored pencil!

30. To review, Op Art Project:



Create original
Geometric OR
Organic Design, OR
a combination of
both.
Use colored pencils
& include at least 3
colors.
Must be an illusion!

31. Your 1st Practice Technique: Sphere