RILEY, BRIDGET

born April 24, 1931, London, Eng. in full Bridget Louise Riley English artist whose vibrant optical pattern paintings were central to the Op art movement of the 1960s. Riley attended the Royal College of Art (195255) and, until 1960, painted primarily impressionistic landscapes and figures. Her study of the Pointillists led to experiments in colour juxtaposition, and under the influence of Victor Vasarely her work took on a geometric abstraction, in which intricate patterns of black and white or alternating colours are calculated to produce illusions of movement, colour, and topography. She won a first prize at the Venice Biennale in 1968. Notable works include Drift No. 2 (1966) and Nineteen Greys (1968).