Bridget Riley: Past into Present

ôI am sometimes asked æWhat is your objectiveÆ and this I cannot truthfully answer. I work æfromÆ something rather than ætowardsÆ something. It is a process of discovery.ö Since 1961, Riley has focused exclusively on seemingly simple geometric forms, such as lines, circles, curves, and squares, arrayed across a surfaceùwhether a canvas, wall, or paperùaccording to an internal logic. The resulting compositions actively engage the viewer, at times triggering sensations of vibration and movement. In the present selection, Riley advances her Measure by Measure series, her most extensive body of work to date, into a new, darker color palette. Once again, changing the way we look and offering a powerful effect on our eyes.

This sense of dynamism was explored to great effect in the artistÆs earliest black-and-white paintings, which established the basis of her enduring formal vocabulary. In 2020, after visiting her own earlier works at her retrospective exhibition organized by the National Galleries of Scotl