Riley, Bridget (1931-…), is a British painter who became a leader of the Op Art style that emerged in the 1960’s. Op, or Optical, Art is a type of abstract painting that gives the illusion of movement or other visual effects. Riley’s paintings typically emphasize intricate, repetitive patterns of geometric shapes, such as ovals, squares, and vertical or wavy lines.
Riley plans her paintings by first using drawings, water colors, and cutout colored shapes. She employs assistants to transfer her concepts into paintings. Although Riley does not paint the final work, the completed painting precisely reflects the artist’s ideas about scale, color, and other visual elements.
Bridget Louise Riley was born in London, England, on April 25, 1931. She studied at the Royal College of Art in London from 1952 to 1955. Her early paintings included landscapes that reflected the Impressionist style of the late 1800’s in France. Riley created her first Op Art paintings about 1960. At first, Riley worked entirely in black and white. In about 1967, she began painting in color. In 1965, Riley exhibited in a famous Op Art show called “The Responsive Eye” at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, New York. The show’s enormous success greatly raised Riley’s reputation internationally.
In addition to her Op Art works, Riley has designed ballet scenery and a series of murals in 1983 for the Royal Liverpool Hospital. Queen Elizabeth II made her a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1972. This honor recognizes distinguished service to the arts and sciences, public services, and charitable organizations.
