Nineteen Greys D
Nineteen Greys D
Signed Print
Bridget Riley
Screenprint, 1968
Signed Print Edition of 75
H 76cm x W 76cm
Critical Review
This signed screen print by Bridget Riley was released in 1968 in an edition of 75. The last of four screen prints in the Nineteen Greys series, Nineteen Greys D, presents ovals varying in tone from white the light grey set against a blueish-grey background. Slanting at various angles across the page, the variance in tone creates a V shape towards the bottom of the composition. The introduction of grey into this series marked a new phase in the artist’s body of work, moving on from the exclusively black and white works of previous years.
Exploring the effects of contrasting warm and cold greys, Riley, much like in her other works, manipulates shape and colour to generate complex visual sensations in the spectator. On these works the Tate Gallery wrote: “they involve certain juxtapositions and confrontations where the elements or their activities neutralise one another, cancel one another out. The central subject of the prints is the result of this neutralisation or cancellation”. Thus, the focus of this series was the result of tonal variations and their effects on the viewer, enabling an exploration into the physiological and psychological responses of the eyes.
