I recently visited the Bridget Riley exhibition currently being displayed at the Walker Art Gallery Liverpool.
To be completely honest I had a pre-conceived idea of what I thought it was going to be like but I was pleasantly suprised by the exhibition. I have admired her work in the past but due to the use of simplistic forms and colours and I naively assumed they were relatively easy to create. The exhibition showed me how wrong I was!
Not only did the exhibition show the finished images, but it also displayed the plans and sketches for some of her most famous pieces.
I was suprised to see that each element in her images were carefully measured and placed at specific angles in order to create the movement and sense of scale we all associate with her work. Even the smallest form was carefully drawn and shaded in order to create the desired effect.
I think that seeing the images in books or on a computer screen do not do them justice, seeing them in person allows you to admire the sheer scale of the images. There were photos showing her working in her studio which make you appreciate how much work goes into the images and the skills required.
I also realised how much care does into choosing the right colours to create the desired effect.
"You never see colour by itself, it's always affected by other colours."
The vibrant colours as seen in 'Ecclesia' 1985 work against each other to create a dizzying effect which you can't help but be affected by.
Since the exhibition I have become really interested in how the relationship between shade, colour and form is exploited in Riley's work in order to mess with our eyes. I will definately be reading into her work much more in the future.
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