Other artists such as Bridget Riley, Jesus-Rafael Soto, Richard Anuszkiewicz, and Francois Morellet also created images that could be categorized as op art. One such artwork is the 1938 painting entitled ‘Zebras’ by Victor Vasarely, whom many consider to be the pioneer of this abstract movement. In October 1964, Time Magazine first used the term “optical art” in an article that referred to illusionary painting as a new type of art, when, in fact, works in this style had already been produced 30 years prior. Because it manipulates the rules of perception, a viewer trying to decipher such a painting may observe movement, hidden images, three-dimensional forms, and other simulation. Optical illusion art requires math ingenuity, technical skills and meticulous planning.

It also distorts our sense of depth, causing foreground-background confusion, as well as other perplexing effects. It uses the repetition of form and color to create moiré patterns that give rise to illusions. Optical illusion art, also known as op art, is a mathematically-based genre that produces optical illusions. Optical Illusion Art: Is what you get really what you see?

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