Op art in the context of "Bridget Riley"

Illusionism in art history means either the tradition of art that appears to share the physical space with the viewer or more broadly the attempt to represent physical appearances precisely – also called mimesis. The latter can also be called realism, but the term can also mean the use of everyday subject-matter, or the avoidance of idealizing subjects. Illusionism encompasses a long history, from the deceptions of Zeuxis and Parrhasius to the works of muralist Richard Haas in the twentieth century, that includes trompe-l'œil, anamorphosis, optical art, abstract illusionism, and illusionistic ceiling painting techniques such as di sotto in sù and quadratura. Sculptural illusionism includes works, often painted, that appear real from a distance. Other forms, such as the illusionistic tradition in the theatre, and Samuel van Hoogstraten's "peepshow"-boxes from the seventeenth century, combine illusionistic techniques and media.

Trompe-l'œil (French for 'deceive the eye'; /trɒmpˈlɔɪ/ tromp-LOY; French: [tʁɔ̃p lœj] ) is an artistic term for the highly realistic optical illusion of three-dimensional space and objects on a two-dimensional surface. Trompe-l'œil, which is most often associated with painting, tricks the viewer into perceiving painted objects or spaces as real. Forced perspective is a related illusion in architecture, and Op art a modern style mostly dealing with geometric patterns.

Carlos Cruz-Diez (17 August 1923 – 27 July 2019) was a Venezuelan artist who played a central role in the development of Kinetic and Op art. His work focused on the perceptual and spacial experience of color, presenting it as an autonomous event rather than a descriptive tool.

Alongside Jesús Rafael Soto and Alejandro Otero, Cruz Diez helped shape Venezuela's modernist avant-garde. Beginning in the late 1950s, he developed several key series including the Physichromies, Chromointerférences, and Inductions Chromatiques, which aimed to liberate color from form and generate a participatory visual experience. His research positioned him among the most important figures in postwar abstraction.