Kaglo II

While still a high school student, Victor Vasarely became fascinated by patterns in nature and architectural structures. His early works encompassed formal investigations of distinct visual effects and environments, anticipating his concept of universal structures that bridged micro- and macro-cosmic scales. The Hungarian painter was inspired by the movement of waves, the pebbles and shells found in southern France, and the architectural structures carved out of the rocky hillside of Gordes, a small town in the countryside. Vasarely later translated these forms into geometric shapes, investigating the relationship between linear and color patterns in nature and in architecture. "Kaglo II" evokes both the upward view of a dome, an architectural structure, and the elliptical shape of a shell. The octagon’s internal geometry suggests recession and expansion, spatial depth and entropic force, while its contrasting colors—blue and orange—produce an optical vibration that makes the whole image appear to be in motion.

This text was created in collaboration with the University of Maryland Department of Art History & Archaeology and written by Patricia Ortega-Miranda.