Cheyt-MM 1970

This is Victor Vasarely’s ‘Cheyt-MM’, an undated painting that makes you feel like you're looking at something three-dimensional on a flat surface. It's all about how he plays with your perception. Vasarely was really into this idea of 'optical art' or 'op art.' Look at how he uses these cubes and that grid. It’s a tight structure that, paradoxically, makes your eyes kinda swim. It’s almost like he’s thinking about the picture plane as a kind of digital screen or maybe a textile. It’s wild! Those colors – the blacks and yellows and grays – are so clean and controlled, which feels a little cold, right? But then your eyes start moving, and the whole thing sort of vibrates. I think he really was trying to ask some questions about how we see and what painting can do. I can’t help but think about Bridget Riley when I see this work. Both artists knew how to make a painting feel alive.