CTA 102 #4 1966

This is CTA 102 #4, by Victor Vasarely. Look at how the red and brown oval forms seem to hover, shifting in and out of focus, against a green grid-like ground. The act of making this must have been slow and iterative. I think the artist was trying to trick us into seeing something that wasn’t really there. Each little unit, each individual form, is carefully considered and placed in relation to the next. You can almost feel the artist’s hand, gently nudging these colors into place, coaxing the surface into vibrating. Think of Josef Albers and his homage to the square. Vasarely's work is of its time but it also speaks to something timeless about the way we perceive the world. Like all great artists, they’re in conversation with each other, building on what came before, and pushing the boundaries of what painting can be.