Bridget Riley, DENY IV, 1966

"something akin to a sense of recognition . . . so that the spectator experiences at one and the same time something known and something unknown."









the late sunday edition


"But Riley soon discovered the mixed blessing of this celebrity: Her association, from a popular and critical viewpoint, with the facile optical-art label greatly obscured the larger intentions behind her work.

Although effects of optical illusion are a cornerstone of her paintings, Riley regards them only as essential means to a greater expressive end. By careful manipulation, she intends to elicit from the viewer "something akin to a sense of recognition . . . so that the spectator experiences at one and the same time something known and something unknown."

Physical states, ambiguous moods, or her response to the fleeting atmospheric effect in a landscape frequently inspire and breathe life into Riley's paintings, as the following titles, like Deny, testify: Climax, Breathe, Loss, Intake, Vapour, and Late Morning. "






all text taken from here...
read the entire article written by Patrick Shaw Cable...








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