Bridget Riley: Venice and Beyond
Text by Paul Moorhouse
Examining a breakthrough moment in Bridget Riley’s career, this volume illustrates the importance of color to the artist’s investigation of visual contrast and perception. During the early 1960s, Riley’s black-and-white work employed elementary shapes to convey movement and light. Having tested this limited set of means, the artist incorporated color into her paintings in 1967.
This volume accompanies an exhibition at Graves Gallery, Sheffield (18 February–25 June 2016) that chronicles the period of change which took place before, during and after Riley’s representation of Great Britain at the 34th Venice Biennale. Using Rise 1 (1968) as a starting point, the carefully selected group of paintings and works on paper from 1967–85 situate this important painting within its context. Alongside over 30 full-color illustrations, an essay by Paul Moorhouse explores how the adoption of color informs developments throughout Riley’s ensuing career.
Publisher: Ridinghouse, in association with Museums Sheffield
Artists: Bridget Riley
Contributors: Paul Moorhouse
Publication Date: 2016
Binding: Softcover
Dimensions: 10 x 12 in (25.4 x 30.5 cm)
Pages: 56
Reproductions: 31 color
ISBN: 9781909932203
Retail: $25 | £15.95
Status: Available
Bridget Riley
One of the most significant artists working today, Bridget Riley’s dedication to the interaction of form and color has led to a continued exploration of perception. From the early 1960s, she has used elementary shapes such as lines, circles, curves, and squares to create visual experiences that actively engage the viewer, at times triggering optical sensations of vibration and movement. Her earliest black-and-white compositions offer impressions of several other pigments, while ensuing, multi-chromatic works present color as an active component. Although abstract, her practice is closely linked with nature, which she understands to be “the dynamism of visual forces—an event rather than an appearance.”
Paul Moorhouse
Paul Moorhouse is the 20th Century Curator at the National Portrait Gallery in London, where he is responsible for acquisitions, displays, and research relating to the collection within the period from 1914 to 1990. Since 2005, he has organized several exhibitions at the museum, including Pop Art Portraits (2007), Gerhard Richter Portraits (2009), and The Queen: Art and Image (2012). Recent publications include Pop Art Portraits (2007), Anthony Caro: Presence (2010), Bridget Riley: From Life (2010), and A Guide to Twentieth Century Portraits (2013).