Procion-R 1959 - 1962

This is Procion-R, an undated artwork by Victor Vasarely using geometrical forms. Vasarely plays with the most basic of shapes: the square and the circle. These simple shapes lock into each other, making your eyes jump all over the canvas. There’s a flatness to the shapes, an optical illusion, like the paintings of Bridget Riley, except Riley used more than just black and white. When you look at each shape, especially the squares, you can almost feel their coldness. If you look at the lower forms, you can see white squares trapped inside the black circles. It's reminiscent of Josef Albers, who also explored the relationship between squares, but Vasarely adds a sense of depth and movement that Albers doesn't quite achieve. Like all great art, it’s an invitation to see the world a little differently, a world of infinite possibilities.