Riley is one of the world’s most successful female artists and is credited with the invention of Op art based on the perception of nature and the interrelationship of colour. She seeks to translate sight into sensation based on the feelings she experienced in North Cornwall early in her career. For Riley, colour exists in groupings and contrasts with the same colours producing very different sensations based on the pairings.

Here she creates a rhythmic field as our eyes are drawn into the image and to the right. Her curvilinear shapes and block colours produce a depth of space and intense visual sensations, yet there is a sense of calm and wonderful balance.