The Right Angles: A celebration of colour and form

Mondrian’s contribution to the trajectory of Modern art was monumental. The legendary Josef Albers was particularly influenced by the artist, creating a significant body of work titled ‘Homage to the Square’. Began in the 1950s, this series consumed the artist for 25 years and was inspired by Mondrian’s own obsession with the many formal possibilities of a square.

Through exploring geometry within art, major artists were able to investigate an infinite range of visual effects.

In 1965, Josef Albers exhibited alongside Bridget Riley, Frank Stella and Victor Vasarely in one of Modern art's most important exhibitions, 'The Responsive Eye'. The exhibition occured at the height of the Op Art movement, a period in which artists engaged with how vision functions through their vibrant, geometric compositions. Creating dynamic optical illusions, artists such as Albers, Riley, Stella and Vasarely sought to confront visual perception, encouraging a different way of seeing. 

Artists external to Op Art, such as leading conceptual artist Sol LeWitt, also explored geometry. LeWitt, who was influenced by Albers' teachings and consideration of the square motif, used line and form in order to contemplate structures and logic in a uniquely cerebral way.

Pioneers such as Riley and LeWitt have inspired generations of artists to explore geometry. For instance, Damien Hirst's ongoing obsession with circles mirrors Albers' fixation on the square. Geometric artworks from across both the Modern and Contemporary period continue to provide audiences with a vital means of engaging with visual, aesthetic, and human experience.