"For me nature is not landscape, but the dynamism of visual forces"

Bridget Riley’s statement draws a fundamental distinction between conventional representations of nature and the experience of its energy. Rather than viewing nature as a static scene or picturesque vista to be copied, she considers nature as an interplay of dynamic forces, movement, light, rhythm, and optical effect. For Riley, nature is not a passive subject to be depicted; it is an active and ever-changing phenomenon, a complex web of energies that can be felt rather than simply seen.

Her approach emerges from an understanding that perceiving nature involves more than the identification of trees, mountains, or rivers; it is an immersive engagement with visual sensations, how sunlight flickers, how shapes shift with wind and weather, how shadows play and merge. Instead of framing nature as a scenic backdrop, she captures the pulsating rhythm and tension present in the natural world, attempting to translate these sensations into her abstract visual language.

This perspective is evident in Riley’s art, particularly in her use of patterns and repetition to suggest movement and transformation. Her compositions do not reference specific landscapes but instead evoke sensations akin to those experienced in nature: the dizzying effect of sunlight on water, the optical shimmer of heat rising off the earth, or the flicker of leaves stirred by a breeze. Riley’s focus lies in the way visual forces interact and influence perception, how color, line, and form participate in a dance that recalls the forces of nature itself.

By emphasizing dynamism over representation, Riley invites viewers to rethink their relationship to both art and the natural world. Nature becomes a source of abstract energy and inspiration, rather than something to be neatly captured or described. In her vision, the aesthetic experience moves beyond literal depiction; it becomes an act of participation in the same visual vitality that animates the world around us.