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Glite Dictionary
op art

op art

1 8.2
Art that uses patterns and color to make the eyes see movement or depth
  • noun
  • /ˈɑp ɑrt/
translation icon : arte óptico
  • In its early years exhibiting as a group, GRAV participated in the international kinetic and Op art scene, which brought together artists from across Central and Western Europe who were committed to using new perceptual experiences and technologies to activate the relationship between viewer and work.
  • op art print

Examples

  • In Sun, Sea and Sand (1995; see ills. in Ikon gallery 1999:12-13), hundreds of small bowls were wrapped with textiles and arranged on the floor, creating an Op Art effect.

    Academic text (2001)

  • At the gallery, I was fascinated by the op art installations, which seemed to move as I shifted my perspective.

  • So we do see op art in Austria and we see it obviously also much later in in more contemporary painting.

  • A giant spiral hypnodisc whirrs, creating trippy black and white zigzag op-art effects a la Bridget Riley.

    Fiction book (1998)

  • Dandyish and erotic, followed by blasts of violence, dreamy op-art puzzles, and psychedelic patterns over—

    Fiction book (1998)

  • The vibrant colors and geometric patterns in this op art piece create an optical illusion that mesmerizes viewers.

  • Many artists embraced op art in the 1960s, using shapes and colors to challenge perception and create visual effects.

Synonyms

abstract art
vsop art
3 3.9

Work made with shapes and colors that does not show real things

is a 1960s style that uses patterns and optical illusions for visual effect

Antonyms

realism
12 6.1

An art style that shows ordinary life without making it look prettier

figurative
5 5.9

In art, showing people, animals, or other things you can recognize rather than abstract shapes

Surface Forms

op art singular
op arts plural

Morphology

op + art

The element 'op' is an abbreviation of 'optical' rather than a transparent lexical item, so a B1 learner who only knows the constituents as given (with 'op' unclear) cannot infer the meaning related to optical illusions. Knowing 'art' alone does not make the specialized concept of the 1960s optical-art movement predictable, so the phrase is not compositional for typical learners.

Etymology

Op art comes from the words op and art, where op is a short form of the word 'optical'. Artists in the 1960s used strong lines, colors and patterns to create 'optical illusions', so the name now means art that makes the eye see movement or strange visual effects.