Coloured Greys III thumbnail 1
Image of Gallery in South Kensington
On display at Young V&A
Imagine Gallery, The Living Room, Case 3

Coloured Greys III

Print
1972 (printed)
Artist/Maker
Kelpra Studios (printer)
Riley, Bridget (artist)
Place of origin
UK (made)

Bridget Riley (born 1931) is one of the leading figures of the Op (Optical) art movement, which came to the fore in the international art world in the 1960s. Op art was manifest in both two- and three-dimensional objects. The name derives from the way in which the artist creates optical illusions of literally vibrating surfaces through repetition of simple forms and the juxtaposition of colours. Foreground and background appear to change place; animated patternings and other effects occur. In this image Riley subtly changes the greys from top to bottom of the image, and by using wavy lines maximises the length of the edges along which optical fusion and contrast can happen.


Object details

Categories
Prints
SCRAN
Drawings
Paintings
Woman Artist
Object type
Print
TitleColoured Greys III (assigned by artist)
Materials and techniques
Ten-colour silkscreen
Colour Printing Ink
Card
Screen Printing
Brief description
Bridget Riley. Coloured Greys III, 1972. Screenprint.
Physical description
Abstract composition in shades of grey, lilac, purple and white
Dimensions
  • Printed surface height: 57.2cm
  • Printed surface width: 58.9cm
  • Sheet height: 69.9cm
  • Sheet width: 73.2cm
Style
Op Art
Production typeLimited edition
Copy number
28/125
Marks and inscriptions
  • Bridget Riley '72 (pencil)
  • Coloured Greys 28/125 (pencil)
Gallery label
Magic movement Bridget Riley used simple colours and shades to make this print. The way she made the pattern confuses your eyes, so it seems to wave and move. [Young V&A, Imagine Gallery short object label] (2023)
Summary
Bridget Riley (born 1931) is one of the leading figures of the Op (Optical) art movement, which came to the fore in the international art world in the 1960s. Op art was manifest in both two- and three-dimensional objects. The name derives from the way in which the artist creates optical illusions of literally vibrating surfaces through repetition of simple forms and the juxtaposition of colours. Foreground and background appear to change place; animated patternings and other effects occur. In this image Riley subtly changes the greys from top to bottom of the image, and by using wavy lines maximises the length of the edges along which optical fusion and contrast can happen.
Associated objects
Bibliographic references
  • Timmers Margaret (Ed). Impressions of the Twentieth Century: Fine Art Prints from the V&A Collection. London, V&A Publications, 2001 This print was included along with Coloured Greys I and II in the Arts Council of Great Britain exhibition 'Bridget Riley Silkscreen Prints 1965-1978', Hayward Gallery, 1980. The prints in the museum's collection are not numbered 'I', 'II' or 'III' The dimensions of Circ.258-1976 do not correspond exactly in size to those in the ACGB Catalogue, where they are given as 70.2 x 73.1cm.
  • This print was included along with Coloured Greys II and III in the Arts Council of Great Britain exhibition 'Bridget Riley Silkscreen Prints 1965-1978', Hayward Gallery, 1980. The prints in the museum's collection are not numbered 'I', 'II' or 'III' but this plate corresponds in size to that in the ACGB Catalogue captioned as Coloured Greys I.
  • Taken from Departmental Circulation Registers: 1976-1977
Collection
Prints, Drawings & Paintings Collection
Accession number
CIRC.258-1976

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Record createdDecember 21, 2002
Record URL
https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O72306/coloured-greys-iii-print-riley-bridget/
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