CTA 102 #2 1966

Victor Vasarely made "CTA 102 #2" using paint on canvas, deploying a systematic arrangement of circles. The flat, smooth surface of the canvas is covered with precise gradations of grey, creating an optical effect. The material itself, paint, is quite traditional. But Vasarely applied it in a deliberately non-expressive way, more akin to industrial processes like printing or even digital imaging. There's something subtly radical about this, because it challenges the conventional idea of the artist's touch. Instead of brushstrokes conveying emotion, we have a manufactured feel, almost as if produced by a machine. In a way, Vasarely anticipated our contemporary world, where images are endlessly reproduced and circulated. He flattened the hierarchy between the unique artwork and the mass-produced object. By emphasizing systematic production, he prompts us to consider the labor and social context embedded in art, questioning traditional notions of artistic genius.