Untitled

Carlos Cruz-Diez investigates the perceived mutability of color. His Physichromie series, begun in the fifties while he was teaching at the Visual Arts Studio in Caracas, explores the relationship between color and the viewer. As one moves through space, the work is activated and changes—an effect achieved by the application of moiré, a pattern produced by the superimposition of similar designs at different angles. Cruz-Diez produced several public installations on walls and sidewalks that confront viewers with brilliant colors in unexpected patterns. At first glance, the colored stripes in this print appear to bleed into one another. The result disorients the viewer as the center square pulsates and hovers above the background. Instead of using the moiré pattern to produce the optical illusion, Cruz-Diez interrupts the scheme by overlaying stripes of different size and colors.