Why is the Arcadia collection so important?

The prints in this collection feature abstract compositions of curved geometric shapes arranged elegantly next to one another. The shapes are rendered in bold colours against a plain backdrop which focuses the viewer’s attention on the particular shapes and the way they interact with one another. The arrangement of interlocking shapes in the Arcadia collection resonates with Riley’s other works, notably the Lozenges collection.

How do I buy an Arcadia collection print?

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How can I sell my Arcadia collection print?

If you're looking to sell art by Bridget Riley, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.

Arcadia by Bridget Riley Background & Meaning

Arcadia

Arcadia (2013) is a four colour screen print series by British artist British Riley. Each abstract print in the series is from a signed edition of 75, and is one of Riley's first forays into colour experimentation. Despite the limited palette and two-dimensionality of the series, Riley's Arcadia prints possess a natural sense of movement.

Meaning & Analysis

Printed in an edition of 75, Bridget Riley’s Arcadia series is typical of her optical experiments and use of interlocking geometric forms. The prints in the collection all follow the same colour scheme dominated by blues, greens and oranges and feature similar patterns of curved and interlocking shapes.

Riley was born in London and studied art at Goldsmiths' College (1949–52) and later at the Royal College of Art (1952–55). After her studies, Riley worked as an art teacher and spent much of her spare time developing her own visual language and thinking about the ways in which shape, lines and light could interact in artworks to produce optical illusions. ‘Op art’ which is short for ‘optical art’ is a term used to describe Riley’s style as the artist was able to cleverly manipulate her canvases, making it seem as if her paintings were moving.

Riley rose to international fame in the 1960s with her black and white Op Art paintings which were exhibited at an exhibition called The Responsive Eye at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. These impressive paintings, all rendered in black and white, depicted intricate geometric patterns of shapes that were arranged in such a way as to give the impression that the shapes were flashing, vibrating, pulsating or blurring into one another.

The prints in this collection feature abstract compositions of curved geometric shapes arranged elegantly next to one another. The shapes are rendered in bold colours against a plain backdrop which focuses the viewer’s attention on the particular shapes and the way they interact with one another. The arrangement of interlocking shapes in the Arcadia collection resonates with Riley’s other works, notably the Lozenges collection.
The Arcadia collection also marks an important development in Riley’s visual language- her decision to experiment with colour. The works in this collection are characterised by their use of bold and vibrant colours. Departing from her black and white painting style, Riley became fascinated with colour and the way it can influence perception and emotion. Other artists who explored the link between colour and emotion are post-impressionist Georges Seurat, who Riley herself has identified as having had a strong influence on the development of her own, unique, visual language, as well as Sonia Delaunay and Josef Albers. As well as being influenced by Seurat, the works in the Arcadia collection are also reminiscent of Henri Matisse’s iconic cut-outs which he produced between 1943 and 1954.
Riley was deeply influenced by nature and natural landscapes. The artist moved to Cornwall during World War II and explains how she was mesmerised by the Cornish seas and skies and the way these landscapes constantly changed and stimulated her vision. Riley strove to recreate these ever changing landscapes in her own artworks, and the illusion of movement created in the prints in the Arcadia collection captures how Riley’s prints attempt to mimic natural movements like rippling water, rolling waves and blowing winds.
If you're looking to sell art by Bridget Riley, click the link and we can help. We employ a number of techniques and practices in order to give a realistic and achievable valuation on any art listed on myartbroker.com. We analyse the demand for the work in question, take into consideration previous sales and auction valuations, we assess the current gallery valuation and monitor the current deals taking place via MyArtBroker every day. We regularly advise sellers on a price bracket for their artwork completely free of charge.