07.10.20 -CRITICAL STUDIES - Contemporary art using photography as a medium

        Bridget Riley - Ida Kar, 1963

     National Portrait Gallery


Ida Kar captured this square film negative of Bridget Riley at her exhibition at Gallery One in 1963, where it was the final show before the gallery was closed down by Victor Musgrave. 

Riley's artwork has been appropriated by Kar to create an image which gives us a different perspective on the piece, showing a physical relationship between art and artist. The high angle creates an odd power imbalance where the work seems to be closing in on Riley, which makes me question if the artist is often viewed as less valuable than their work, or perhaps Kar is commenting that the artist themselves is an intrinsic part of it.

The different directions of the lines create an optical illusion that makes it difficult to perceive the depth of the image, and by placing Riley in among them, we feel like we too can step into the artwork and experience it on a more three dimensional level. Riley's eye contact with the camera strengthens this bond between the art and viewer which I think is quite powerful and captivating overall.


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