Optical Composition 1980

This is Optical Composition by Victor Vasarely, and looking at it, I’m thinking about the joy of precision. I love the flatness, how all the shapes are neatly next to each other, like a very well-organized puzzle. The blues and greens are so cool and calming, but also, slightly unsettling because of the optical effect. Take a look at the way the blue cylinders seem to overlap. Vasarely uses shading to trick your eye into thinking they are popping out of the canvas. How clever is that? It’s like he's saying, "Hey, art can be a game!" It makes me think of Bridget Riley, another artist who loved to play with perception. They both remind us that art isn't just about what you see, but how you see it. It’s about the push and pull of illusion and reality, a conversation that never really ends.