Warning! Brought to the Columbus Museum of Art is an exhibit that can potentially cause physical discomfort, nausea and dizziness. Optic Nerve: Perceptual Art of the 1960’s will be on display at the museum through June 17, highlighting the Op Art movement.
Op Art, short for optical art, is a movement that took place primarily in America during the '60s and in an attempt to learn more about the way viewers perceive art work.
According to Joe Houston, associate curator for contemporary art at the Columbus Museum of Art, the Op Art artists were specifically interested in the visual interpretation of their work, as well as technology. “It was really kind of the first time in history that artists made that the ultimate subject of their work – the viewer response,” Houston says.
“It’s all abstract (art) that sort of becomes a catalyst for extraordinary visual experiences,” adds Houston. “This engages all kinds of interesting ideas about perceptual psychology as well as theories about color and optics.”
Op Art reached its peak in the United States in 1965 and caught on to more than just paintings.
“Designers, fashion, home products, wall paper all kind of caught on to it and met the public demand for commercial products utilizing Op Art motifs,” says Houston.
Wallpaper from Sears, which was inspired by an Op Art artist’s work, clothing designs, upholstery fabrics, carpeting and even advertising and graphic design for movie posters or music albums are examples of different aspects of the American culture that adapted to the movement. "(They) all kind of caught on to it and met the public demand for commercial products utilizing op art motifs,” Houston says of American industries.
A few of these commercial objects inspired by the movement will be featured at the exhibit, but it will primarily feature paintings, 3-D constructions, sculptures, films and kinetic art.
“Kinetic art is art that’s actually motorized and literally moves,” says Houston. “Most Op Art is not actually motorized.”
Using intense, bold colors, lively patterns and various juxtapositions, the artwork intentionally aims to stimulate the nervous system. The motivation behind this element of the artwork may have been caused by various historical and land marking events that were occurring in the United States during the time period.
“In a way it conveys a sort of tension and disorientation that you might associate with Vietnam, the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of JFK and some other sort of cultural events,” Houston says. “Some critics considered it violent art because it did have such an effect on the viewer.”
Houston also believes that the current exhibit at the Columbus Museum of Art is a chance to revisit a movement that was a precursor to modern forms of art. “It really led toward a more interactive and participatory art, which is now something contemporary artists do quite a bit,” says Houston.
The Optic Nerve: Perceptual Art of the 1960’s exhibit will run through June 17. For more information call 614-221-4848 or visit www.columbusmuseum.org.