The quest for discovery through looking is the driving force of
Bridget Riley's work, as she has written: "More than anything else I
want my paintings to exist on their own terms. That is to say they must
stealthily engage and disarm you. There the paintings hang, deceptively
simple--telling no tales as it were--resisting, in a well-behaved way,
all attempts to be questioned, probed or stared at and then, for those
with open eyes, serenely disclosing some intimations of the splendors to
which pure sight alone has the key."
This publication unfolds along the lines of Riley's 2018 exhibition at
David Zwirner, London. Beginning with an exploration of black-and-white
equilateral triangles, Riley leads the viewer into an awareness of the
ways in which a surface--wall or canvas--can affect a seemingly simple
form: the triangle. While she demonstrates these subtle changes, Riley
manipulates this form by bending its sides. At first sight the viewer
may experience this as a breaking apart, but as one continues to look,
serpentine movements appear, or large shadowy triangles, which advance
and recede. These paintings constantly reinvent themselves through
looking.
Riley is revisiting and developing works which she initiated over fifty
years ago, as is shown here by the inclusion of Black to White Discs
(1962/1965) in the exhibition. This diamond formation of discs, which
graduates in tone from white to black and back again, offers a lead-in
to her new body of work. In Cosmos and the Measure for Measure
series, Riley recalls a group of subtly shaded colors used this time in
discs. While the compositions remain fundamentally the same, the play of
colors changes every time.
The exhibition ends with a surprisingly spacious wall painting that
offers the viewer many delights, not least among them a dance of
fugitive white lights. Here, Riley disarms the viewer, encouraging us
once again in an adventure of discovery. In his essay, Richard Shiff
explores Riley's ability to give new life to basic forms as she invites
the audience, any audience, to help participate in the painting.
