op art
Geometry tricks eyes
Op art is a style of abstract visual art that uses geometric patterns to create optical illusions—shapes that seem to move, vibrate, or pulse.
The style emerged in the 1960s and relies on precise arrangements of lines, shapes, and contrasting colors to trick the eye: The museum's op art collection made my eyes swim. (Also written Op art.)
Recurring arrangement or template
- stripesParallel linear markings
- checkerboardAlternating square pattern
- concentric circlesRings with shared midpoint
- gridFramework of intersecting lines
tessellation · repetition · symmetry · asymmetry · parallel lines · curves · spirals · squares
Rippled textile finish
- afterimageLingering visual impression
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- pulsationRhythmic expansion and contraction
- flickerUnsteady, brief light
dazzle · shimmer · figure-ground · eye fatigue · warping · bulging · receding · advancing
Decade after the fifties
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- psychedelicInducing altered perception
- MoMANew York contemporary gallery
Tate · gallery · exhibition · modernism · vanguard
Without color gradations
- monochromeSingle-color rendering
- tonalRelating to pitch
- starkSevere and unadorned
- boldCourageous and daring
Displayed printed notice
- printTransfer text to paper
- textileMaterial from woven fibers
- fashionCurrent popular trend
- wallpaperOrnamental wall covering
album cover · advertising · branding · packaging · interior design · furniture · decor · graphic design
pattern
Recurring arrangement or template
- stripesParallel linear markings
- checkerboardAlternating square pattern
- concentric circlesRings with shared midpoint
grid · tessellation · repetition · symmetry · asymmetry · parallel lines · curves · spirals · squares · zigzag
moire
Rippled textile finish
- afterimageLingering visual impression
- vibrationRapid oscillating movement
- pulsationRhythmic expansion and contraction
flicker · dazzle · shimmer · figure-ground · eye fatigue · warping · bulging · receding · advancing
1960s
Decade after the fifties
- avant-gardeInnovative cultural pioneers
- minimalismAesthetic of reduction
- psychedelicInducing altered perception
black-and-white
Without color gradations
- monochromeSingle-color rendering
- tonalRelating to pitch
- starkSevere and unadorned
poster
Displayed printed notice
wallpaper · album cover · advertising · branding · packaging · interior design · furniture · decor · graphic design · silkscreen
- art formspainting, drawing, sculpture, photography, music
- patternspattern, chevron, geometric pattern, stripes, plaid
- optical illusionstrompe l'oeil, impossible stairs, duck-rabbit, afterimages, impossible triangle
- Modern Artcubism, Cubism, Fauvism, dadaism, Dadaism
- abstract artabstract expressionism, abstraction, expressionism, abstract composition, non-figurative
- art movementsImpressionism, impressionism, Surrealism, surrealism, Cubism
op artphotorealism
Art imitating camera accuracy
figurative art · realism · naturalism · portraiture · landscape painting
op artexpressionism
Distorting reality for emotion
abstract expressionism · romanticism · symbolism · surrealism · narrative art
op artaction painting
Spontaneous, physical mark-making
abstract expressionism · Jackson Pollock · lyrical abstraction · expressionism · impressionism
art, option, options, optional, optimal, optimum, optical, optic, optics