'Winter Palace' by British artist
Bridget Riley (born 1931) is composed of vertical
stripes of the same length and width covering the
entire picture area. Each stripe has been painted
in one of five carefully chosen colours; the number
of each coloured stripe varies. The lines are sharp.
Looking at the painting for any length of time makes
your eyes zing.
Riley is well known for her Op Art works, which
explore the dynamic, often disorientating, optical
effects of geometric forms. Initially she worked
in black and white, but with 'Winter Palace' she
began to explore colour, creating something more
restrained and harmonious.
Riley has often said that for her abstract painting
refers to memories, sensations, even a particular
place. 'Winter Palace' was made just after the artist
had returned from a winter trip to Egypt. 'In Luxor
I stayed in the old Winter Palace Hotel. It was
a luxurious visit in many ways: cool, fresh mornings
filled with brilliant light, the silk-smooth surface
of the Nile, seemingly undisturbed, and each day
seeing the tomb paintings with their pure and beautiful
colours. But when it came to giving the painting
a title I had completely forgotten these details
and was somewhat at a loss. Then my dealer - thinking
of Russia - said: ÔWhat about 'Winter Palace'? It
was just right, suggesting something cool, something
luxurious, something man-made, fabricated, and of
course, the colours I had seen in Egypt!'
