Responding to “The Responsive Eye”: A Santa Fe Gallery
Showcases Op Art’s Thriving Legacy
Artsy.net, 03/04/2015
Heather Corcoran

It’s hard to imagine now—with op art’s place so firmly established in the canon of 20th-century avant-garde movements—that when the first major museum survey of the style opened, an editor from the New York Times wrote a letter denouncing the paper’s own glowing review of the movement. But that’s just what happened when the exhibition “The Responsive Eye” opened at MoMA in 1965.

Now, 50 years later, that era-defining exhibition is the starting point for a series of shows at Santa Fe’s David Richard Gallery, the first of which, “Post-Op: ‘The Responsive Eye’ Fifty Years After” brings together more than 34 objects by 17 artists dealing with issues at the heart of op.

The original exhibition was so groundbreaking that it drew more than 180,000 onlookers to take in this curious new style, where images seemed to jump and move depending on how the viewer looked at them. The effect was so jarring that museum guards were given permission to wear sunglasses. New York Times critic John Canaday heralded the exhibition, which was organized by William C. Seitz and featured geometric abstractions from artists ranging from British artist Bridget Riley to former Josef Albers student Richard Anuszkiewicz, as “one of the most exciting artistic events in a decade.”

In response, Times staffer Lester Markel wrote his rebuttal in the paper and later spoke to television reporter Mike Wallace, criticizing the form: “It is fascinating as a technique, but it is not art at all.” While the show was divisive, one thing was certain: with its crisp, clean lines and high-tech appeal op was the perfect visual expression for the space age—and the style was quickly adopted by the worlds of fashion and advertising.

The new show at David Richard Gallery looks beyond the basic definition of op art to investigate the ways artists have explored visual perception over the past half century. The artists included in the gallery show were participants in the original “Responsive Eye” exhibition, including Hannes Beckmann, Tadasky and Anuszkiewicz, and the exhibition looks at works made right up to the present day that showcase these pioneers’ continuing interest in the relationship between art and optics. Throughout the year the gallery will expand the scope of its investigations into op, looking at other artists who embody the spirit of the movement today.

Associated Artist

• Richard Anuszkiewicz
• Karl Benjamin
• Ernst Benkert
• Francis Celentano
• Thomas Downing
• Lorser Feitelson
• John Goodyear
• Francis Hewitt
• Leroy Lamis
• Mon Levinson
• Alexander Liberman
• Ed Mieczkowski
• Oli Sihvonen
• Julian Stanczak
• Peter Anthony Stroud
• Tadasky

Associated Exhibitions

• Post-Op: 'The Responsive Eye' Fifty Years After Curated by David Eichholtz and Peter Frank
  February 24, 2015 - April 11, 2015
  MORE INFO

Associated News

• May 23, 2020
  Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930–2020)


• August 5, 2019
  ‘Optical Art’ to be shown at Fort Wayne Museum of Art
  Wane.com
  August 5, 2019
  Dirk Rowley
  


• April 8, 2019
  JULIAN STANCZAK
  The Lobby Gallery, 499 Park Avenue, New York
  On view through September 2019
  Reception: Tuesday, April 9, 5-7 pm
  
  


• March 26, 2019
  Rhythm, Rhythm, Everywhere
  Toledo City Paper, 03/26/2019
  Thena Cocoves
  
  


• August 24, 2018
  The Eye of the Beholder Tadasky
  Santa Fe New Mexican
  Pasatiempo, 08/24/2018
  Michael Abatemarco
  
  


• August 10, 2018
  Press Release - Tadasky 'Pushing Boundaries'


• July 28, 2018
  Unique art 'treasure hunt' spans dozens of Ohio venues
  The Blade, 07/28/2018
  Roberta Gedert
  
  


• July 12, 2018
  Cleveland Hopes to Become the Next Venice
  The Wall Street Journal, 07/12/2018
  Kelly Crow
  
  


• February 17, 2018
  Julian Stanczak
  Visual Art Source, 02/17/2018
  Amanda Malloy
  
  


• February 9, 2018
  Julian Stanczak at David Richard Gallery
  Santa Fe New Mexican
  Pasatiempo, 02/09/2018
  Michael Abatemarco
  
  


• February 8, 2018
  Love is in the Art
  Santa Fe Arts Journal, 02/08/2018
  Emily Van Cleve
  
  


• January 31, 2018
  Press Release - Julian Stanczak "Dynamic Fields"


• January 26, 2018
  Oli Sihvonen, Kinetic Energy
  Wall Street International Magazine, 01/26/2018
  
  


• January 17, 2018
  Press Release - Oli Sihvonen "Kinetic Energy"


• July 22, 2017
  FRONT International: Cleveland Triennial for Contemporary Art


• April 19, 2017
  Julian Stanczak’s Contribution to Cincinnati Art
  City Beat, 04/19/2017
  Steven Rosen
  
  


• April 11, 2017
  Julian Stanczak, Abstract Painter, Dies at 88
  New York Times, 04/11/2017
  Roberta Smith
  
  


• March 31, 2017
  Julian Stanczak on the Power of Red
  ArtInfo, 03/31/2017
  
  


• March 28, 2017
  Op Art Loses One of Its Leading Figures With Death of Julian Stanczak
  ArtNet News, 03/29/2017
  Perwana Nazif
  
  


• March 28, 2017
  Julian Stanczak, Central Figure of Op Art Movement, Dies at 88
  ArtNet News, 03/28/2017
  Alex Greenberger
  
  


• March 28, 2017
  Julian Stanczak (1928–2017)
  Artforum, 03/28/2017
  
  


• March 27, 2017
  Julian Stanczak, globally renowned Op artist based in Cleveland, has died at age 88
  Cleveland.com, 03/25/2017
  Steven Litt, The Plain Dealer
  
  


• December 16, 2015
  Julian Stanczak Op Art paintings smash local price ceiling and rocket nationally
  Cleveland.com, 12/16/2015
  Steven Litt
  
  


• February 25, 2015
  Op Art pioneer Richard Anuszkiewicz’s dancing colors are like Red Bull for your retinas
  Orlando Weekly, 02/25/2015
  Richard Reep
  
  


• January 29, 2015
  Color Color' evokes harmony between two disparate mediums
  The New Record, 01/29/2015
  Christina Drobney
  
  


• December 15, 2014
  'Color Color' at the Cincinnati Art Museum showcases digital prints and poetry
  ArtDaily.org, 12/15/2014
  
  


• March 19, 2014
  Oli Sihvonen: In Motion
  Art Ltd, March/April 2014
  Matthew Irwin
  
  


• March 3, 2014
  Press Release - Julian Stanczak "Lineal Pathways"


• March 1, 2014
  Oli Sihvonen
  David Richard Gallery, Santa Fe, New Mexico
  Visual Art Source, 03/01/2014
  Iris McLister
  
  


• February 23, 2014
  1969 Cleveland Arts Prize for Visual Arts
  


• January 31, 2014
  Capturing chance and time


• January 30, 2014
  Rhythmic and optical paintings by Oli Sihvonen from 1988 to 1991 presented at David Richard Gallery
  


• January 10, 2014
  Press Release - Oli Sihvonen "In Motion"


• November 15, 2013
  Richard Anuszkiewicz featrured in the exhibition "Optic Nerve" at the Tacoma Art Museum.


• April 30, 2013
  JULIAN STANCZAK
  COLOR WONDER
  Cleveland Magazine, May 2013
  
  


• April 13, 2013
  Press Release - RICHARD ANUSZKIEWICZ Variations: Evolution of The Artist's Media 1986 - 2012


• April 8, 2013
  AKRON ART MUSEUM
  Line Color Illusion: 40 Years of Julian Stanczak
  Apr 13, 2013 - Nov 3, 2013
  


• October 16, 2012
  THE MARKET'S HOTTEST ARTISTS
  Bloomberg.com, 10/16/2012
  Ben Steverman
  
  


• August 8, 2012
  Press Release - Tadasky "The Circle Reviewed: 1964 to 2012"


• May 1, 2012
  An Interview with Artist Julian Stanczak
  GeoForm, May 2012
  Julie Karabenick
  
  


• May 1, 2012
  An Interview with Artist Julian Stanczak
  GeoForm, May 2012
  Julie Karabenick
  
  


• December 13, 2011
  JULIAN STANCZAK: GREAT COLORIST OF THE 20TH CENTURY
  Cleveland Institute of Art, 12/13/2011
  
  


• November 6, 2011
  Cleveland Institute of Art touts its own history in shows on Robert Mangold, Julian Stanczak and Ed Mieczkowski
  Cleveland.com, 11/06/2011
  Steven Litt
  
  


• September 21, 2011
  CLEVELAND MUSEUM OF ART OPTICAL ART EXHIBIT A TEST FOR THE EYES
  WEWS, 09/21/2011
  
  


• August 23, 2011
  Press Release - Julian Stanczak "Tactile See Through"


• November 1, 2010
  The New Criterion review of "Julian Stanczak: Color - Grid"
  Gallery Chronicle, November 2010
  James Panero
  
  


• February 12, 2015
  Press Release - Post-Op: 'The Responsive Eye' Fifty Years After


• April 1, 2015
  POST-OP: The Responsive Eye - Fifty Years After
  THE Magazine, April 2015
  Susan Wider
  
  


• March 20, 2015
  'Post-Op' On View At David Richard
  Antiques and The Arts Weekly, 03/20/2015
  
  


• March 4, 2015
  Responding to “The Responsive Eye”: A Santa Fe Gallery
  Showcases Op Art’s Thriving Legacy
  Artsy.net, 03/04/2015
  Heather Corcoran