In contemporary art, however, a design like this would probably be styled as Op Art. Optical creations are usually produced by an arrangement of a great many small pieces, demanding so much from the eye, and often (by receding to the center) seeming to pulse or to be in motion, so that the image becomes dizzying and staggering. To make it art, there is always some sort of color harmony, or simplifying use of black and white, so as to transcend the sense of over-powering.

But if it is possible to claim a quilt design as Op Art, the reverse is true as well. One of the all time great Op artists, and still active in the current era, is the British artist Bridget Riley (b. 1931): her MOVEMENT IN SQUARES illustrated left might easily inspire in quiltdom a whole new genre of Op Art quilt designs. See OPTICAL ILLUSIONS FOR QUILTERS (with traditional patterns and templates) by Karen Combs.