Lot 2

Private collection, London
Private collection, Sydney, acquired from the above
Thence by descent

MacRitchie, L., Bridget Riley: The Complete Prints:1962-2020, Thames & Hudson, London, 2020, pp. 118-119, cat. no. BRS 24 (illus., another example)

Bridget Riley's 'Dominance' series, 'Green Dominance, Blue Dominance, Red Dominance', marks a pivotal moment in her move toward a fully chromatic language. Created in 1977, the three screenprints reflect the direction she began exploring a decade earlier, when she moved away from pure black and white and began examining how colours behave when placed in carefully calibrated sequences.

Each print is formed from a system of vertical bands that curve gently across the sheet. The lines appear to move in slow waves, crossing and drifting around one another. Although the structure across the series stays the same, a different leading hue shapes each composition. This creates three distinct atmospheres, each guided by the colour that subtly "dominates" the sequence. The idea of colours twisting around one another, which Riley often returned to, finds clear expression here.

Riley's palette is soft and measured. Greens, blues, pinks, and creams recur in deliberately balanced intervals. As the eye follows the rhythm of the stripes, the surface seems to shift, creating the quiet optical effects that define her Polychrome Op Art period. The prints encourage an unhurried kind of looking, revealing fresh relationships between the colours the longer one spends with them. These gentle transitions unfold gradually, inviting an attentive and sustained viewing experience.

Printmaking has always been central to Riley's practice. Since her first screenprint in 1962, she has used the medium to refine visual ideas that later appear in her paintings. The 'Dominance' series exemplifies this distilled approach, presenting her ideas with clarity and precision.

Complete sets of these prints are rarely seen at auction. While each word stands strongly on its own, the trio has a particular resonance when viewed together. The full series offers a fuller sense of Riley's exploration of colour during the 1970s, revealing the subtle variations that shaped her investigation during this period. It is a thoughtful and carefully constructed example of how small shifts in hue can transform an entire composition and guide the rhythm of an artwork.

Hannah Ryan
Senior Art Specialist

© Bridget Riley 2025. All rights reserved