Ecclesia

1985
Riley, Bridget
Riley's very distinctive, optically vibrant style of painting developed in the 1960s. Her early paintings were executed in black and white and used simple geometric patterns to create the illusion of movement. The artist later started to add depth and tone to her works by incorporating a simple vocabulary of colours and repetitive, abstract shapes. In 'Ecclesia', the narrow vertical stripes of bright colour create a rainbow effect and produce a subtle visual experience; the colours influence each other, reflecting the artist's observation of nature. As Riley explains: 'Each band has a clear identity. Step back and the colours begin to interact, further away still, a field of closely modulated harmonies cut by strong contrasts opens up. I had to work simultaneously on these two levels: the physical identity of the painted colours and the visual experience of their relationship. I used cut bands of painted paper in a collage technique to adjust, change and move colours around.' Bridget Riley was born in London in 1931 and spent most of her childhood in Cornwall. She studied at Goldsmiths College (1949 – 1952) and the Royal College of Art, London (1952 – 1955) and had her first solo exhibition in 1962 at Gallery One, London. Monika McConnell
  • Artwork Details: 161.5 x 140cm
  • Edition:
  • Material description: oil on canvas
  • Credit line: © 2011 Bridget Riley. All rights reserved. Courtesy Karsten Schubert, London
  • Theme: Abstract
  • Medium: Painting
  • Accession number: AC 5406

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