Line Op Art
Intro
Basic
Element/Principal of Design
line, space
Concept/Skill:When lines are close together in
patterns, colors, motion or other optical illusions are
created.
OHS
line - A1, A2, C4, C5, D3
Objective: The learner will create 4 practice designs using different types of lines , experience optical
illusions from various sources, create a final design using one of the practice designs, explore Op
Art including Bridget Riley.
Activity
Create an optical illusion through the use of line
Have optical illusion slide show. Have students discuss each in terms of what they are seeing and
Steps:
how their eye is affected by the visual.
1. Have students take a sheet of newsprint and fold into fourths. Have students create small designs
using line only. *The closer the lines are together without touching the better the illusion*
2. Once all four areas are completed, share with small group and determine the final design.
3. Create the final design using a black felt tip marker and a 9X12 white sulfite piece of paper.
Rubric
- Completed practice paper using different Materials
pencils, rulers, white paper, black
types of lines.
markers, newsprint
Optical illusion.
Line precision
Craftsmanship
- Completed final design.
Optical illusion.
Line precision
Craftsmanship
Vocabulary diagonal, horizontal, vertical, curvilinear, thick, thin, optical illusion, Op Art
Notes:
Optical Art
1950's to 1960's
Optical Art is a mathematically-oriented form of (usually) Abstract art, which uses repetition of
simple forms and colors to create vibrating effects, moire patterns, an exaggerated sense of depth,
foreground-background confusion, and other visual effects.
In the mid-20th century, artists such as Josef Albers, Victor Vasarely, and M.C. Escher
experimented with Optical Art.
In the 1960's, the term "Op Art" was coined to describe the work of a growing group of abstract
painters. This movement was led by Vasarely and Bridget Riley.
Line Op Art
Intro
Intermediate
OHS
Objective:
Activity
Steps:
Element/Principal of Design
Concept/Skill:
line, space
line
A1, A2, C4, C5, D3
Create an optical illusion through the use of line and color (use angle, closeness of lines
and color contrast devices to optically create an edge, thus showing a drawing shape or
word that would otherwise be hidden.
1. Show/describe Op art - Bridget Riley, Victor Vasarelly
2. Lightly draw geometric shapes or silhouette of object or block lettered word. Fill the
format.
3. Draw evenly spaced lines across format.
Rubric
Vocabulary
Notes:
4. Paint one line at a time, changing colors within that line if there is an intersecting space.
Materials
Craftsmanship-hard edge
optical effect
Optical Art is a mathematically oriented form of (usually) abstract art, which uses
repetition of simple forms and colors to create vibrating effects, moiré patterns, and
exaggerated sense of depth, foreground-background confusion, and other visual effects.
Hard Edge Op Art
Intro
Basic
OHS:
Objective:
Activity
Steps:
Element/Principal of Design
Concept/Skill:
line, space
A1, A2, C4, C5, D3
Draw a hard edge Op art design
1. Draw set of lines from corner radiating outward.
2. Draw second set of lines from corner radiating outward and crossing first set of lines
Rubric
3. Color every other space with one color marker or color pencil
Materials
hard edge design
color
Tessellations
Intro
Element/Principal of Design
IntermediateAdvanced
OHS
Math/Art 9.14, 9.21
Objective:
Activity
Steps:
Rubric
Concept/Skill:
C2, C4, C6
Use polygons to create tessellations
Use one or more congruent shapes to make a tessellation
1. Review definitions:
Plane; polygon; tessellation; 4 types of transformation: translation, rotation,
reflection, glide reflection.
2. choose polygon, cut/tape sections. Define object
3. Trace object onto paper
4. Continue transformation of object and tracing
5. Cover entire paper with tessellations
Materials
• originality of object from polygon
• craftsmanship
• tessellation
Vocabulary
PLANE
a two-dimensional, flat surface that is infinite
Polygon
a simple closed shape. Polygons are named according to the number of sides and angles they contain.
Triangle - quadrilateral - pentagon - hexagon - heptagon - octagon - nonagon - decagon
Transformation
a movement of a figure to a new location
Four Types of Transformations (movements)
Translation (or slide) - a transformation involving a slide of a rigid figure
Rotation - a transformation that turns a figure about a point in a plane
Reflection (or a flip) - a transformation that mirrors a figure in a plane
Glide Reflection a transformation that moves a figure in a slide and also mirrors it.
Notes:
TESSELLATION
Patterns of geometric design are all around us. We see them every day, woven into
the fabric of the clothes we wear, laid in the hallways of buildings and printed on
the wallpaper of our homes. These patterns are intriguing to the eye.
There is a special class of geometric patterns called tessellation. The word
tessellation comes from the Latin word tessella, which was the small, square stone
or tile used in ancient Roman mosaics. Tessellations are also known as tilings or
mosaics. A tessellation is a pattern made up of one or more shapes, completely
covering a surface without any gaps or overlaps.
In the twentieth century, a number of artists have applied the concept of tessellating
patterns in their work. The best known of these is Dutch artist M. C. Escher. He
altered geometric tessellating shapes into such forms as birds, reptiles, fish, and
people. Leading artists in the Op Art movement of the 1960s used tiling patterns or
modifications of tiling patterns in their art works. Victor Vasarely, a Hungarianborn painter working in France, created striking designs in stark black and white as
well as in vibrant colors. Another Op artist is the English painter and designer
Bridget Riley, whose work shows a mastery of the characteristic visual effects of
Op art, with geometrically precise patterns that vibrate and flicker before our eyes.
To better understand tessellations, let's review a few basic geometric terms and
concepts.
A Plane is a two-dimensional, flat surface that is infinite.
Polygon is the general classification for plane shapes. A polygon is a simple closed
shape, bounded by line segments. Polygons are named according to the number of
sides and angles they contain. ie. - a triangle is 3 sided; a quadrilateral is 4 sided; a
pentagon 5 sided; a hexagon is 6 sided; a heptagon is 7 sided; a octagon is 8 sided; a
nonagon is 9 sided; a decagon is 10 sided
Tessellation - a covering of an infinite plane, without any gaps or overlaps, by a
pattern of one or more congruent shapes.
Transformation - a movement of a figure to a new location, leaving the figure
unchanged in size and shape.
Four types of transformations (movements)
1. Translation (or slide) - A transformation/movement involving a slide of a rigid
figure without changing their size or shape
2. Rotation - A transformation/movement that turns a figure about a point in a plane.
3. Reflection (or a flip) - A transformation that mirrors a figure in a plane
4. Glide Reflection - A transformation that moves a figure in a slide and also
mirrors it.
2000- Chinese Year of the Dragon
Element/Principal of Design
OHS:
Objective:
Activity
Basic
Concept/Skill:
A1, A3, C2, S1, G3
Create visual texture using pen and ink
Create a dragon from your imagination. Use pen and ink to add visual
textures and details
Alternate Activity: Create visual texture using scratch board (Chinese
year of the Dragon
Steps:
Rubric
Creativity
Materials
visual texture
Vocabulary
Notes:
craftsmanship
Rat - 1984
Horse- 1990
Ox
Ram
Tiger
Monkey
Rabbit
Rooster
Dragon - 2000
Dog
Snake
Pig - 1995
Dragon (Chinese Year of the Dragon-2000/yr. 4698, Feb 5 and 6)
OPTICAL ART
Glossary Term: Op Art
Op Art, also called Optical Art, was popular along side Pop Art. Op art is a branch of
geometric, abstract art that deals with optical illusion. Op art artists used colors and
shapes in precise ways to make colors, lines and shapes seem to pulsate and flicker.
Two techniques used to achieve this effect are perspective illusion and chromatic
tension. Artists used colors, lines and shapes repetitive and simple ways to create
perceived movement and to trick the viewer's eye.. Some well-known artists of this
period were Victor Vasarely, Bridget Riley and Larry Poons.
Copyright 1998-2005 Sanford
What are the key characteristics of Op Art?
• First and foremost, Op Art exists to fool the eye. Op compositions create a sort of visual
tension, in the viewer's mind, that gives works the illusion of movement. For example,
concentrate on Bridget Riley's Dominance Portfolio, Blue (1977) - for even a few seconds and it begins to dance and wave in front of one's eyes. Realistically, you know any Op Art
piece is flat, static and two-dimensional. Your eye, however, begins sending your brain the
message that what it's seeing has begun to oscillate, flicker, throb and any other verb one can
employ to mean: "Yikes! This painting is moving!".
• Because of its geometrically-based nature, Op Art is, almost without exception, nonrepresentational.
• The elements employed (color, line and shape) are carefully chosen to achieve maximum
effect.
• The critical techniques used in Op Art are perspective and careful juxtaposition of color
(whether chromatic [identifiable hues] or achromatic [black, white or gray]).
• In Op Art, as in perhaps no other artistic school, positive and negative spaces in a
composition are of equal importance. Op Art could not be created without both.
Suggested Reading
Op Artists - A Selected List Related Resources for Op Art
Related Articles
Glossary - Op Art Impressionism: Where Did It Come From?, Fine Arts - Fea... Art History 101 - Dada What is
Art Deco? About Art History - Movements - Op Art - Do-It-Yourself...
Op Art Web Sites:
http://www.artcyclopedia.com/history/optical.html
http://www.the-artists.org/artshop/op-art.cfm
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=24111&c=&search=bridget+riley Riley
http://www.allposters.com/gallery.asp?aid=24111&c=&search=vasarely Vasarely
http://www.the-artists.org/art-gallery/m-c-escher.cfm M.C. Escher
http://www.postershop.com/Soto-Rafael-Jesus-k.html&Partnerid=2922 Jesus Soto
http://www.ritsumei.ac.jp/~akitaoka/opart-e.html Op Art that makes you dizzy
http://www.artlex.com/ArtLex/o/opart.html Artlex’s Definition
http://www.karinkuhlmann.de/digitalworlds/abstract6/abstract6.html Cool Images
http://www.artlandia.com/products/collection/index.html?optical1
http://www.artlandia.com/products/SymmetryWorks/opart/
http://www.artlandia.com/products/SymmetryWorks/tessellations/ Tessellations