Bridget Riley’s black and white Op Art dazzled the eye and challenged the brain, making her synonymous with the hedonistic 1960s atmosphere. The stark lines and sharp edges of her artworks created monochrome illusions, evocative of the modernity emerging within art, music and fashion.<br><br>Riley came to rue the connection with popular culture and the ease with which fashion designers of the time, such as Pierre Cardin and André Courrèges, appropriated her work,<sup>1</sup> diluting her credibility as a serious artist. Furthermore, the geometric precision of her designs and their execution by assistants drew criticism of favouring science over artistry and whether this truly constituted art.<sup>2</sup><br><br>In reality, Riley found motivation from two creative sources: childhood experiences of Cornwall’s natural landscapes and her fascination with the pointillism of post-Impressionist Georges Seurat. Through these inspirations Riley learnt to observe and reflect on an ever-changing world: <blockquote>nothing that I see is ever the same twice… the experience you had in the first place can never be got back.<sup>3</sup></blockquote>Riley pursued this idea of constant change: portraying rhythm and repetition by intricately manipulating line and shape, light and shade. <br><br>Undeterred by the early setbacks, Riley developed her ideas of perception, adding colour and variety of form, as in her dazzlingly vibrant piece <em>Nataraja</em> (1993), amassing an influential body of work over a long career. Today she is recognised as a leading artist of her generation, receiving the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1998,<sup>4</sup> finally earning the respect that had once eluded her.<br>