Bridget Riley
England b.1931
Big Blue 1981-82
Oil over synthetic polymer paint on linen
234.5 x 201cm
Purchased 1984
Collection: Queensland Art Gallery
© The artist
Bridget Riley
Big Blue 1981-82
Bridget Riley's work is regularly associated with Op art. Op (short for optical) was at its height during the 1960s and referred to Abstract art which explored the eye's response to different combinations of colours and shapes.
Riley is the most significant British artist to have emerged from this movement, and has rigorously continued to investigate optical effects from her first exhibition in 1962 through to her most recent shows. In her work, the viewer is not only aware of the object being looked at but also the processes of vision.
Riley's early work is characterised by its exclusive use of black and white but, in 1966, she began working with colour and subsequently introduced other elements such as curves and tonal gradations.
Big Blue 1981-82 was painted after a trip to Egypt, where Riley was inspired by the landscape's intense light and colours. The work marks a shift in the artist's practice where sensuous curves were replaced by vertical bands of solid colours, creating a radiant, visually vibrating surface.
