Hungarian-French painter Victor Vasarely (1906\u20131997) was a precocious talent. His earliest surviving painting, a landscape done at age 12, baffled through its realism\u2014an indication of the compelling illusions of spatial depth that would later define his dazzling universe.<\/p>\n
Inspired by the likes of Malevich and the Bauhaus school, Vasarely developed his own abstract-geometric visual language, exploring the relationship between pure form and pure color. Vasarely\u2019s experimentation with optical effects in the 1940s and \u201950s earned him a central role in the evolution of Op Art. By the late \u201950s and early \u201960s, he concentrated on the \u201cdemocratization of art\u201d by producing \u201cmultiples\u201d\u2014reasonably priced original
\nworks reproduced in large editions. Vasarely\u2019s attempt to \u201cdestroy the completely obsolete myth of the unique, inimitable masterwork\u201d was a tremendous contribution to art theory. To him, there was no place for hierarchical division into originals and reproductions, nor for distinction between fine and commercial art\u2014\u201cWe cannot leave the enjoyment of art to an elite of connoisseurs forever,\u201d he declared. This redefinition of the artist\u2019s position and function in society marked a crucial first step in the Pop Art movement.<\/p>\n
Vasarely\u2019s boldly colorful and eye-popping paintings are instantly recognizable and remain entirely modern and relevant today. In this dependable introduction, we explore the makings of an artist ahead of his time. Crisp reproductions and insightful texts celebrate the father of the Op Art movement, from his earliest hypnotizing optical illusions to his hallmark checkerboard works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hungarian-French painter Victor Vasarely (1906\u20131997) was a precocious talent. His earliest surviving painting, a landscape done at age 12, baffled through its realism\u2014an indication of the compelling illusions of spatial depth that would later define his dazzling universe. Inspired by the likes of Malevich and the Bauhaus school, Vasarely developed his own abstract-geometric visual language,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":36582,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"product_brand":[],"product_cat":[4522],"product_tag":[9083,2767,159,154,12994,524],"class_list":["post-36595","product","type-product","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","product_cat-art-en","product_tag-art-en","product_tag-art-history","product_tag-art-movements-en","product_tag-monographs","product_tag-op-art-en","product_tag-painting-en","pa_author_att-magdalena-holzhey-en","pa_cover-hardcover","pa_format-21-x-26-cm-en","pa_isbn-9783836573955-en","pa_language-eng","pa_pages-96-en","pa_published-2018-11-09-en","pa_publisher-taschen-en-en","first","outofstock","sold-individually","shipping-taxable","purchasable","product-type-simple"],"yoast_head":"\n