The name of the artistic movement "op-art" is an abbreviated version of the phrase optical art - optical art. It is based on the use of optical illusions and features of human visual perception in art.
The first experiments in the field of op-art were carried out at the end of the 19th century. Then they had nothing to do with art, but were in the nature of a scientific experiment aimed at studying the features of human vision. German professor Thompson managed to create the illusion of movement using static black and white circles.
The emergence of the art of op-art
Op-art became art only in the second half of the 20th century. Victor Vasarelli is considered its founder. Op-art was widely popularized by the exhibition under the meaningful title "The Sensitive Eye", which was held in 1965 in New York.
Creating their works, the masters of op-art turned not to feeling, but to the human mind. The fact is that the images they create are formed not only and not so much on a canvas or sheet of paper, but in the viewer's head. Thanks to optical illusions, flat figures become three-dimensional and moving.
Features of the perception of optical illusions
The main task of op-art is to deceive the human eye, forcing it to see non-existent images. Visual illusions arise due to the introduction of rhythmic repetitions, color contrasts, spiraling and winding lines into the image. Everything that a person supposedly sees, in fact, exists only in his sensations as a result of a malfunction that has arisen in the work of the visual apparatus.
The works of op-art artists have nothing to do with the images of the surrounding world. Nevertheless, they are endowed with a truly hypnotic appeal, which attracts the attention of viewers. The art of op-art reveals the special expressiveness of a geometric pattern that can turn the perception of the surrounding reality.
When creating their works, op-art artists often use not only brushes and paints, but also complex mechanisms, lenses and mirrors. As a result, the images they create continuously move and pulsate, causing visual shock in people. Works that have the ability to glow and reflect light are especially powerful in their impact on the viewer. As a result, visitors to events where such works were exhibited even fainted.
After the first exhibition of op-art, skeptical critics predicted his imminent death. Nevertheless, about 50 years have passed, and optical illusions are still popular and again intrigue their fans with the developing possibilities of this peculiar direction.
