Fall 1963

Bridget Riley created "Fall" with paint on canvas to make you think, really think, about looking! Isn't it wild how she gets these black and white lines to almost vibrate? It's like the painting is breathing. Up close, you can see each line has its own little wobble, a hand-done quality. These marks create an optical illusion that messes with your perception, causing your eyes to jump around and maybe even give you a bit of a head rush. Consider the way the lines compress at the bottom, like looking down from a great height! Then, see how they stretch out as they rise up the canvas, it's like the painting is doing yoga. This distortion makes the surface ripple and dance, challenging the idea that a painting has to be a static object. Riley’s paintings are visual experiments that tap into the pure pleasure of seeing. Think of Victor Vasarely too, and how he played with geometry to trick the eye. These artists remind us that art is not just about representing the world, but about actively creating new ways of experiencing it.