The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists (347 page)
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Authors: Ian Chilvers
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Oliver , Isaac
(before 1568–1617).
English
miniaturist
of French origin, the son of a refugee Huguenot goldsmith who settled in England in 1568. He trained under
Hilliard
(whose main rival he later became) and by 1590 was established in his own practice. Although Hilliard continued to receive royal favour under James I, Oliver was made
Limner
to the Queen, Anne of Denmark, in 1604, and was patronized by Henry , Prince of Wales, and his circle. His style was more naturalistic than that of Hilliard , using light and shade to obtain modelling and generally dispensing with the emblematic trappings so beloved of the Elizabethan age. He was in Venice in 1596, and unlike Hilliard he did history paintings in miniature. Contemporary sources indicate that he probably also painted life-size portraits, and some of the pictures attributed to William
Larkin
have been put forward rather as possible works by Oliver . His son,
Peter
(1594–1647), continued in his style, but specialized also in miniature copies after the Old Masters.
English
miniaturist
of French origin, the son of a refugee Huguenot goldsmith who settled in England in 1568. He trained under
Hilliard
(whose main rival he later became) and by 1590 was established in his own practice. Although Hilliard continued to receive royal favour under James I, Oliver was made
Limner
to the Queen, Anne of Denmark, in 1604, and was patronized by Henry , Prince of Wales, and his circle. His style was more naturalistic than that of Hilliard , using light and shade to obtain modelling and generally dispensing with the emblematic trappings so beloved of the Elizabethan age. He was in Venice in 1596, and unlike Hilliard he did history paintings in miniature. Contemporary sources indicate that he probably also painted life-size portraits, and some of the pictures attributed to William
Larkin
have been put forward rather as possible works by Oliver . His son,
Peter
(1594–1647), continued in his style, but specialized also in miniature copies after the Old Masters.
Omega Workshops
.
.
Decorative arts company founded by Roger
Fry
in 1913. Inspired by the ideals of
Ruskin
and
Morris
, it was an attempt to bring modern art into touch with daily life by the production of decorative art. Among his chief associates in this enterprise were Duncan
Grant
(the best of the Omega designers) and Vanessa
Bell
, and Fry encouraged amateur as well as professional artists to participate (all work was sold anonymously). In general the work was done by painters and consisted of decorating manufactured objects rather than designing products from scratch. Bright colour predominated in the designs, many of them abstract. The workshops, which operated from 33 Fitzroy Square, London, were a financial failure (Fry had no business aptitude and the First World War had a disastrous effect on sales), and they closed in 1919.
Fry
in 1913. Inspired by the ideals of
Ruskin
and
Morris
, it was an attempt to bring modern art into touch with daily life by the production of decorative art. Among his chief associates in this enterprise were Duncan
Grant
(the best of the Omega designers) and Vanessa
Bell
, and Fry encouraged amateur as well as professional artists to participate (all work was sold anonymously). In general the work was done by painters and consisted of decorating manufactured objects rather than designing products from scratch. Bright colour predominated in the designs, many of them abstract. The workshops, which operated from 33 Fitzroy Square, London, were a financial failure (Fry had no business aptitude and the First World War had a disastrous effect on sales), and they closed in 1919.
Ono , Yoko
.
.
Oostsanen
.
.
Op art
(abbreviation of Optical art on the analogy of Pop art).
(abbreviation of Optical art on the analogy of Pop art).
A type of abstract art that exploits certain optical phenomena to cause a work to seem to vibrate, pulsate, or flicker. It flourished mainly in the 1960s; the term was first used in print in the American magazine
Time
in October 1964 and had become a household phrase by the following year, partly through the attention given to the exhibition ‘The Responsive Eye’ held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1965. This was the first international exhibition with a predominance of Op paintings. The development of Op art as a recognizable movement had begun a few years earlier than this, in about 1960, the works and theories of Josef
Albers
being among the main sources. The devices employed by Op artists (after-images, effects of dazzle and vibration, and so on) are often elaborations on the well-known visual illusions to be found in standard textbooks of perceptual psychology, and maximum precision is sought in the control of surfaces and edges in order to evoke an exactly prescribed retinal response. Many Op paintings employ repeated small-scale patterns arranged so as to suggest underlying secondary shapes or warping or swelling surfaces. This kind of work can retain much of its effect in reproduction, but Op art also embraces constructions that depend for their effects on light and/or movement, so Op and
Kinetic art
sometimes overlap. The two most famous exponents of Op art are Bridget
Riley
and Victor
Vasarely
. Their work illustrates the considerable impact that Op made on fashion and design in the 1960s—its instant popular success (accompanied by a fairly cool critical reception) is hard to parallel in modern art. Op art became something of a craze in women's fashion and in 1965 Riley unsuccessfully tried to sue an American clothing company that used one of her paintings as a fabric design. One of Vasarely's designs was used on the plastic carrier bags of France's chain of COOP stores. Among other exponents of Op art the best known is probably the American Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930– ), a former pupil of Albers; his work is typically concerned with radiating expanses of lines and colours.
Time
in October 1964 and had become a household phrase by the following year, partly through the attention given to the exhibition ‘The Responsive Eye’ held at the Museum of Modern Art, New York, in 1965. This was the first international exhibition with a predominance of Op paintings. The development of Op art as a recognizable movement had begun a few years earlier than this, in about 1960, the works and theories of Josef
Albers
being among the main sources. The devices employed by Op artists (after-images, effects of dazzle and vibration, and so on) are often elaborations on the well-known visual illusions to be found in standard textbooks of perceptual psychology, and maximum precision is sought in the control of surfaces and edges in order to evoke an exactly prescribed retinal response. Many Op paintings employ repeated small-scale patterns arranged so as to suggest underlying secondary shapes or warping or swelling surfaces. This kind of work can retain much of its effect in reproduction, but Op art also embraces constructions that depend for their effects on light and/or movement, so Op and
Kinetic art
sometimes overlap. The two most famous exponents of Op art are Bridget
Riley
and Victor
Vasarely
. Their work illustrates the considerable impact that Op made on fashion and design in the 1960s—its instant popular success (accompanied by a fairly cool critical reception) is hard to parallel in modern art. Op art became something of a craze in women's fashion and in 1965 Riley unsuccessfully tried to sue an American clothing company that used one of her paintings as a fabric design. One of Vasarely's designs was used on the plastic carrier bags of France's chain of COOP stores. Among other exponents of Op art the best known is probably the American Richard Anuszkiewicz (1930– ), a former pupil of Albers; his work is typically concerned with radiating expanses of lines and colours.
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