Chant 2 1967

Bridget Riley made this painting, Chant 2, with lines of alternating colors. It’s like she set up a simple system and then let it play out, something I really admire in other artists, because it's the way I work myself. The surface is so smooth and even, almost machine-like. I am curious how she does that? Each line has a slightly different width, which creates a subtle rhythm, a visual pulse. I keep thinking about the relationship of these lines to each other – each one is separate, but they create a whole, like a chorus. There's something very musical about it. It reminds me a little of Agnes Martin, in that it is very much about the grid, but also about feeling. Riley is an artist who really understood how our eyes and brains work together to create perception. It’s like she's saying, “Hey, look closely, things aren't always what they seem.”