Dinamica Circolare Ellisse Prospettico by Marina Apollonio is an optical relief in wood, conceived in 1969 and realized in 2025. The elliptical form compresses a sequence of black-and-white concentric bands into a perspectival field that appears to recede and expand simultaneously. Unlike the frontal symmetry of her circular works, the elongated ellipse introduces directional tension, intensifying the illusion of depth and rotation. The surface seems to pulse as the viewer shifts position, activating perception through precise geometry and rhythmic contrast. Rooted in Italian Op Art and perceptual research, the work prioritizes sensory experience over representation. Measuring 50.6 × 25.6 cm, produced in an edition of 20, and hand-signed on the reverse, it exemplifies Apollonio’s sustained exploration of visual dynamics across decades.
Marina Apollonio (Italy, 1940) is a prominent figure in the Op Art and Kinetic Art movements, celebrated for her precise, dynamic works that explore optical illusion and viewer perception. Using concentric circles, geometric patterns, and vibrant colors, Apollonio’s art challenges spatial boundaries, creating immersive visual experiences. Her innovative contributions continue to influence contemporary abstract art.
WoodWood is one of the most ancient and versatile materials used in creating art. It has served as a base for paintings, brush handles, pens, and pencils, as well as for easels, wood engraving, woodcut, woodblock printing, and sculpting. Various types of wood, such as oak, maple, and pine, are commonly used in these artistic applications.
Dinamica Circolare Ellisse Prospettico by Marina Apollonio is an optical relief in wood, conceived in 1969 and realized in 2025. The elliptical form compresses a sequence of black-and-white concentric bands into a perspectival field that appears to recede and expand simultaneously. Unlike the frontal symmetry of her circular works, the elongated ellipse introduces directional tension, intensifying the illusion of depth and rotation. The surface seems to pulse as the viewer shifts position, activating perception through precise geometry and rhythmic contrast. Rooted in Italian Op Art and perceptual research, the work prioritizes sensory experience over representation. Measuring 50.6 × 25.6 cm, produced in an edition of 20, and hand-signed on the reverse, it exemplifies Apollonio’s sustained exploration of visual dynamics across decades.
Marina Apollonio (Italy, 1940) is a prominent figure in the Op Art and Kinetic Art movements, celebrated for her precise, dynamic works that explore optical illusion and viewer perception. Using concentric circles, geometric patterns, and vibrant colors, Apollonio’s art challenges spatial boundaries, creating immersive visual experiences. Her innovative contributions continue to influence contemporary abstract art.
I trained as a painter, but I never really liked it.
- Marina Apollonio
Marina Apollonio is an Italian optical artist and painter who executes her work based on mathematical systems. She received her artistic education at the Venice Academy of Fine Arts, where she followed Professor Giuseppe Santomaso’s painting courses. She desired depersonalization in art, which is opposed to the idea of expressive abstraction. As a result, she started designing illusionistic visual experiences using industrial materials.
Marina adopts basic shapes, such as the circle, and then finds structural devices that bring the figures to life. The end result of her artwork is structures that seem to transform into dynamic, fluctuating spaces to a viewer’s eye.
In many of her works, she creates concentric circles with alternating color sequences, such as black and white. As the viewer’s gaze rotates around the circular planes, a robust optical effect is created. The artist has also done works based on the orthogonal interaction of parallel horizontal and vertical colored lines on black backgrounds. Her works achieve a precise communicative function, but on a strictly visual level.
Marina Apollonio is a member of the international Op Art movement. She has participated in a variety of Optical Arts events across the globe.
Geometric abstraction is a form of abstract art that uses geometric shapes arranged in a non-illusionistic space (though not always) and combined into non-representational (non-objective) compositions. Based on years of artistic research, some artists have proposed that geometric abstraction offers a solution to modern challenges by rejecting traditional illusionistic practices in favor of clarity and simplicity.