Petete 1976 - 1978

Victor Vasarely made 'Petete' with paint, and a meticulous plan of geometric shapes that fit together like a puzzle. The colour palette, mostly cool blues, with a warm, red orb, makes me think about heat and cold, energy and calm. The way each cube is so clearly defined, so neatly painted, is really something. You can tell he must have worked hard to make it look so perfect, almost machine-like. When you look closely, you can see where the colours meet, forming crisp lines. The flat, smooth surface gives it a feeling of distance, but the way the shapes curve and bend tricks your eyes. It’s like the painting is breathing, or like you’re looking through a fish-eye lens. Vasarely reminds me a little of Bridget Riley, but with more geometry and less wiggle. Both of them invite us to really see, not just look, and to question what is real versus what our eyes tell us is real.