Brigit Riley
Bridgit Riley (1931-?) is a British op artist. She began as a pointillist and came to her signature style in the 1960’s. Some of her paintings explore the seasick effect that comes from rhythmic wavy lines, others explore color and contrast. Her Ka and Ra series use colors she saw in Egypt in the 1980’s.
Loss
You can see this amazing painting at http://www.op-art.co.uk/op-art-gallery/bridget-riley/loss. Like many of her earlier works, there are no colors, just black and white. With the rhythmic use of dots, Riley creates an optical illusion of two sheets of material curving together in the center of the painting, with a faded line swooping in from the top left. Somehow, the mathematical forms and rigid restrictions of this piece nevertheless evoke loss. It's something about how things vanish. You see the illusion in its making. There's nothing hidden, nothing that you can't figure out. Yet, there it is. Loss from a bunch of dots.
Brigit Riley Lesson
Lesson Title: Brigit Riley and Op Art
Grade: K - 9 self-contained classroom
Key Vocabulary: Rhythm, repetition, habituation
Visuals/Resources: Brigit Riley's paintings, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo8rgJ4Mc7s
Connections to Prior Knowledge: Recall lessons on complementary colors.
Content Objectives: 1. Use ruler, compass, templates, and freehand drawing to create lines and curves 2. Copy selected Riley paintings, and 3. create your own op art.
Meaningful Activities: 1. Mini-lecture on Brigit Riley. Show some op art illusions and discuss what's happening in them. 2. 15-minute stations: examples of Riley's paintings for copying and emulating. Circle and Line op art station. 3. 30-minute masterwork session: create your own op art in your art journal, and identify what makes it "op."
Supplies: Teacher-made exemplars.
Review/Assessment: Art journal
Language Objective: Use appropriate vocabulary when sharing journal.
Grade: K - 9 self-contained classroom
Key Vocabulary: Rhythm, repetition, habituation
Visuals/Resources: Brigit Riley's paintings, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo8rgJ4Mc7s
Connections to Prior Knowledge: Recall lessons on complementary colors.
Content Objectives: 1. Use ruler, compass, templates, and freehand drawing to create lines and curves 2. Copy selected Riley paintings, and 3. create your own op art.
Meaningful Activities: 1. Mini-lecture on Brigit Riley. Show some op art illusions and discuss what's happening in them. 2. 15-minute stations: examples of Riley's paintings for copying and emulating. Circle and Line op art station. 3. 30-minute masterwork session: create your own op art in your art journal, and identify what makes it "op."
Supplies: Teacher-made exemplars.
Review/Assessment: Art journal
Language Objective: Use appropriate vocabulary when sharing journal.
Brigit Riley Quilt
Lesson Title: Brigit Riley Quilt (extended lesson)
Grade: K - 9 self-contained classroom
Key Vocabulary: Rhythm, repetition, seam allowance, shears, template
Visuals/Resources: Brigit Riley's paintings, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo8rgJ4Mc7s
Connections to Prior Knowledge: Op Art Lesson above.
Content Objectives: 1. Use template and shears to cut rectangles 2. Use pins to pin together 3. Use sewing machine to sew rectangles together 4. Use hand quilting needles to quilt the top to a backing. (Teacher will fit top to backing).
Meaningful Activities: 1. Mini-lecture on Brigit Riley. Show some op art illusions and discuss what's happening in them. Discuss the image above. How to make it? 2. Divide students into cutting teams, discuss how to measure, determine seam allowance, etc. 3. Designate a student team which keeps track of the different sizes of rectangles. 4. Pin rectangles together 5. Everyone gets a turn at the sewing machine. 6. Pin & sew strips together 7. Quilt it down.
Supplies: Light & dark fabric, templates, shears, scissors sharpeners, pins, sewing machine, thread, quilting needles, batting, backing, border fabric.
Review/Assessment: Finished quilt
Language Objective: Sewing terms
Grade: K - 9 self-contained classroom
Key Vocabulary: Rhythm, repetition, seam allowance, shears, template
Visuals/Resources: Brigit Riley's paintings, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uo8rgJ4Mc7s
Connections to Prior Knowledge: Op Art Lesson above.
Content Objectives: 1. Use template and shears to cut rectangles 2. Use pins to pin together 3. Use sewing machine to sew rectangles together 4. Use hand quilting needles to quilt the top to a backing. (Teacher will fit top to backing).
Meaningful Activities: 1. Mini-lecture on Brigit Riley. Show some op art illusions and discuss what's happening in them. Discuss the image above. How to make it? 2. Divide students into cutting teams, discuss how to measure, determine seam allowance, etc. 3. Designate a student team which keeps track of the different sizes of rectangles. 4. Pin rectangles together 5. Everyone gets a turn at the sewing machine. 6. Pin & sew strips together 7. Quilt it down.
Supplies: Light & dark fabric, templates, shears, scissors sharpeners, pins, sewing machine, thread, quilting needles, batting, backing, border fabric.
Review/Assessment: Finished quilt
Language Objective: Sewing terms