Vp-Cheyt 75 1975

Victor Vasarely made this optical painting, Vp-Cheyt 75, and it’s a trip. The colors are bold—red, black, and cream—arranged in a way that makes you feel like you could fall right into it. I bet Vasarely was thinking a lot about geometry and perception when he made this, how shapes and colors can trick the eye. It’s like he’s saying, “What you see isn’t always what you get.” The way those cubes bend and curve suggests both flatness and depth. It's part of a longer conversation artists have been having for centuries—how do we represent the world, and what does it mean to play with reality? Optical art messes with our minds a little, like when you stare at something for too long.