Marko D's Op Art
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Op Art is short for Optical Art. The makers of Op Art aim to deceive the eye by means of geometric patterns in which color contributes to the optical illusion. The origins of Op Art go back to the mainly European tradition of trompe l'oeil (French for deceives the eye).
While browsing the Internet I keep stumbling upon remarkable art that is new and fresh, but not to be found in museums, prestigious art galleries, or the Saatchi collection. It's true that in contemporary art there is no Rembrandt, but there are nevertheless artists that have something unique to say within their own niche.
One such artist is Marc Dufrenois, from the South-West of France, who as an artist goes by the name of Marko D.
The most famous creator of Op Art is the late Hungarian-French artist Victor Vasarely (1908-1997). One of Vasarely's main objectives was the creation of an illusion of movement. The Op Art painting on the left, called Vega-Nor, 1969, shows the warmth of Vasarely's colors and the freshness that the art work still has. So what does Marko D have to add to all of this?
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As said, Vasarely's pioneering art works are still fresh, but they are also rather simple compositions. Compare this to Marko D's Quadrillage, below. In a sense it's almost cubistic, with it's intersecting and overlapping planes and a very sophisticated composition. In art composition refers to the ordering of an image such that it's emotionally meaningful. The ordering process also creates a visual balance, which aids the eye in understanding the image.
One is tempted to think that images like Quadrillage were computer-generated but Marko asserts he creates his Op Art without the use of computers and if you're familiar with actual computer-generated art, you know it must be true.
The dynamism of Quadrillage is remarkable and notice how focussing on the blue planes in the lower-right of the painting produces an extraordinary vision. If your mouse has a scroll-wheel, try moving the page up and down a bit while keeping your eye on "Quadrillage".
If you still like Vasarely's Op Art better, then that may be because Marko D has yet to further develop his abstract visual language, a discipline at which Vasarely was more advanced. Vasarely's Op Art has a generic simplicity that is typical of the work of an abstract art painter.
That Marko D has a fine sense of color can be seen on his painting called "Simple", on the left. As a medium he uses Gouache which may be why his colors lack strength, to an extent.
The art work on the left is reminiscent of Mondrian's earlier abstract art. Look how Marko alternates diagonals with horizontals, contributing to the dynamism. His compositions are so precise that the signatures are dissonants. |
At first sight it's hard to comprehend how someone can create the visual effects as in Le Sablier, on the left, with only his geometric insight to guide. Marko first creates a design on paper with a thin permanent marker and then "plays with colors" within the lines he has set out.
He is inspired by the kaleidoscope, a melting pot of colors with psychedelic forms, as he puts it and also by pop art, abstract art and order in disorder.
More Marko: www.technic-artworks.com |
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