Purple Squares 1986

Victor Vasarely made this Purple Squares piece using geometric shapes and a limited color palette. It's amazing how he coaxes the eye into seeing depth and movement on a flat surface. The process is all about precision, but the effect is pure optical play. Look closely at the way the colors interact: the lavender and violet feel like they’re receding, while the black and white create a vibrating, almost dizzying effect. It's so well-balanced, with the central squares creating a sense of rhythm and spatial depth, almost like staring into a tunnel. The surface is smooth, no visible brushstrokes; it’s all about the shapes and their relationships. Vasarely's art reminds me a bit of Bridget Riley’s work, both playing with perception and abstraction, but while Riley might go for more organic, flowing forms, Vasarely sticks to these rigorous, almost architectural structures. It is all just colors and shapes playing with each other.