Bridget Riley Paints Movement in Squares

A rule-based work of art is, simply put, one of the most famous paintings in history, let alone Op Art. In 1961 Bridget Riley painted Movement in Squares, a black-and-white checkerboard whose columns of squares narrow progressively toward one side until the flat surface seems to fold.

The masterpiece is built from a single unit and a strict rule of change, resulting in the appearance of movement and depth in the eye of the viewer. It began the black-and-white works that made Riley a leading figure of Op Art. Her painting Current (1964) would later appear on the catalogue cover of MoMA's exhibition The Responsive Eye in 1965. Today, Movement in Squares is in the Arts Council Collection, London.