Bridget Riley

Sources: MoMA: Fission, MoMA: Untitled (Fragment 7), MoMA: Blue About, MoMA: Study for Two Reds, Second Revision of Sept. 24., Yale / Bridget Riley catalogue: Current, Kunstmuseum Den Haag: White Discs 2, British Council: Cataract 3, and MoMA: Riley screenprint.

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  Emulsion paint

  Riley painted Current (1964) in synthetic emulsion on board, repeating closely spaced black-and-white wavy lines until the field seems to move. For Cataract 3 (1967), the British Council identifies PVA emulsion on linen: undulating colored bands create a different optical experience.

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  Acrylic paint

  Late Morning (1967–68), held by Tate, uses acrylic emulsion on canvas. It combines repeated red stripes with blue, green, and other hues across a wide horizontal surface. The use of acrylic emulsion is explicit in the Yale Center for British Art's catalogue, unlike works listed only as generic synthetic emulsion or PVA.

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  Gouache paint

  MoMA's Scale Study for Cataract Series (1967) uses gouache and pencil on graph paper. The opaque color shapes let Riley test the widths, bends, and intervals of repeated stripes before painting on canvas. The pencil grid served as a planning tool, not another paint medium.

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  Oil paint

  In Blue About (1983/2002), Riley used oil on linen to set narrow, differently colored vertical bands beside each other. Rather than depicting actual movement, their changing relationships create sensations of shimmer and color instability. MoMA's medium record identifies oil, not emulsion, for this particular painting.

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  Tempera paint

  Fission (1962) is tempera on board, with black dots that compress toward the center to suggest the surface is buckling inward. MoMA lists the paint simply as tempera without an egg-binder specification; the precise graphic effect does not, by itself, establish which tempera recipe she used.

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  Watercolor paint

  Birmingham Museums Trust holds Final Cartoon for Pale Green/Blue Magenta Elongated Triangles (1969–70), which the Contemporary Art Society records as watercolor on paper laid on canvas. The large preparatory cartoon belongs to Riley's developing color studies, distinct from the finished PVA-emulsion Cataract 3 or oil-painted Blue About.

Sources: Yale Center for British Art: Current, synthetic emulsion, British Council: Cataract 3, PVA emulsion, Yale: Late Morning, acrylic emulsion, MoMA: Scale Study for Cataract Series, gouache, MoMA: Blue About, oil, MoMA: Fission, tempera, and Contemporary Art Society: Final Cartoon, watercolor.

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  Painting Board

  Riley’s early paintings include works on rigid board and Masonite, where she developed tightly controlled arrangements of hard-edged color and line. Museum records document these supports in paintings such as Fission. The board surface differs from linen and canvas used for later large-format compositions.

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  Canvas

  Tate records Riley’s Late Morning as acrylic emulsion on canvas. The flexible textile support carries repeated color stripes across a wide horizontal format. This work differs from the board paintings of the early 1960s and the linen used for other later canvases.

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  Linen

  The British Council identifies Riley’s Cataract 3 (1967) as PVA emulsion on linen. The textile support carries undulating colored bands whose repeated intervals create a shifting optical effect. This material is distinct from the canvas recorded for Late Morning and the rigid board used in earlier works.

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  Paper

  Riley’s gouache studies and drawings use paper, including MoMA’s Scale Study for Cataract Series on graph paper. These sheets let her test stripe widths, bends, and spacing before transferring an arrangement to a larger support. Paper studies are distinct from finished paintings on board, canvas, or linen.

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  Plexiglass

  Riley used Plexiglass in works where the transparent sheet forms part of the object. It remains visible around or through the painted composition, unlike opaque board and textile surfaces; the museum collection record identifies it as a specialized transparent support.

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  Wall-based work

  Riley made wall-based works in which painted forms are applied directly to architectural surfaces. These projects extend her geometric color arrangements beyond portable panels and canvas, making the wall part of the presentation. Institutional documentation distinguishes these installations from freestanding paintings on linen, canvas, or board.

Sources: MoMA: Fission, MoMA: Untitled (Fragment 7), MoMA: Blue About, MoMA: Study for Two Reds, Second Revision of Sept. 24., Yale / Bridget Riley catalogue: Current.