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Bridget Riley - Painting the Line

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, seldom-seen footage from the archives and a rare interview with Kirsty Wark, this is the story of a true visionary of British art.

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access, seldom-seen footage from the archives, insights from admirers, experts and contemporaries including Tracey Emin, Michael Craig-Martin and Martin Freeman, and a revealing interview by Kirsty Wark, this is the story of a true visionary of British art.

Bridget Riley has been challenging our perception through painting for over 60 years, with radical work that has transformed how we look at art and invites us to feel with our eyes.

With simple black and white geometric shapes, repeated curves of colour or an array of muted dots, Riley’s work moves, shimmers and - in some cases - unsettles.

At the age of 90, Bridget Riley shows no signs of stopping. Her paintings command millions at auction, she has won prestigious awards and honours, and continues to innovate, paint, publish and exhibit around the world.

±«Óãtv cameras have filmed with Riley over the past few years in two of her studios, on the cliffs of Cornwall, where she spent the Second World War, and at the National Gallery in London during the installation of her enormous mural there in 2018.

In a rare and revealing interview with Kirsty Wark, Riley dispels the numerous misconceptions which have followed her throughout her career. Many consider her as a poster girl for the Swinging 60s, while others hail her as a titan of abstract art. However, Riley considers herself a traditional painter who has merely picked up the baton from those who have gone before her, such as Leonardo da Vinci, Monet, Cezanne and Matisse.

Available now

59 minutes

Last on

Mon 18 Sep 2023 23:05
±«Óãtv Four

Clips

See all clips from Bridget Riley - Painting the Line (4)

Music Played

Timings (where shown) are from the start of the programme in hours and minutes

  • 00:00

    Pink Floyd

    Let There Be More Light

  • 00:02

    Susumu Yokota

    Tobiume

  • 00:06

    Brian Eno

    Golden Hours

  • 00:07

    Susumu Yokota

    Blue Sky And Yellow Sunflower

  • 00:11

    The Who

    Magic Bus

  • 00:13

    Small Faces

    Rolling Over

  • 00:22

    The Yardbirds

    Over Under Sideways Down

  • 00:24

    The Who

    My Generation

  • 00:28

    The Cure

    A Forest

  • 00:29

    Brian Eno

    The Big Ship

  • 00:31

    Yann Tiersen

    The Terrace

  • 00:32

    The Pretty Things

    Balloon Burning

  • 00:34

    The Kinks

    Running Round Town

  • 00:34

    The Kinks

    Running Round Town

  • 00:35

    Pentangle

    Light Flight (From "Take Three Girls")

  • 00:36

    Igor Stravinsky, Columbia Symphony Orchestra

    Premier Tableau: Naissance D'apollon. Largo - Allegro - Tempo I

Credits

Featured Artist Bridget Riley
Presenter Kirsty Wark
Director Sophie Deveson
Producer Sophie Deveson
Production Manager Mandy Weller
Executive Producer Tanya Hudson

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