Constellations #1 1958 - 1961

Victor Vasarely made this work, Constellations #1, with a real geometric rigour, it's so systematic and measured. I'm interested in what it means to be so precise; he’s working with these shades of blue, and the way they interact is completely thought out. Looking at the texture, you can see how the surface is built up like a constellation of squares and circles in formation. Those tonal gradations seem to pull you in and push you out, like a weird kind of optical morphing. Vasarely’s got these circles that seem to be emerging from a grid, like planets aligning. He takes the idea of hard-edge abstraction and turns it into something almost cosmic. This reminds me of Bridget Riley’s work, but Vasarely’s got a different kind of vibe. It’s like he’s composing a little visual symphony, and you know with art, there’s no final answer, just endless ways of seeing things.