Supernovae 1961

Victor Vasarely made Supernovae in black and white using a grid-like structure to play with perception. It's like he’s setting up a system, then tweaking it just enough to make your eyes dance. Look at the top half, where the squares morph into these radiating forms – one dark, one light. It’s not just about the contrast, but how the changing size of each square creates a sense of depth and movement. Then, lower down, those squares turn into circles. I love the feeling of the whole thing threatening to come apart, held together by the grid. Vasarely's work reminds me a little bit of Bridget Riley, another artist obsessed with optical illusions, but with a more rigid, almost mathematical approach. Ultimately though, art like this invites us to trust our senses, even when they’re being tricked.