"Is that black bin not orange?"

Where is the colour black...? It's harder trying to find Wally.

This absurd question was directed to our class many moons ago in our first art class at secondary school. We could have gone for a Monet or a Gainsborough, but no... straight in at the deep end with some abstract nonsense I didn't understand back then.

"We've got a fruitbat of a teacher here, guys..."

Mr. B was tall, thin, and a little serious, but this did not excuse the luminous monstrosity that was the top half of his tracksuit. And he cycled with proper cycling shoes on (what is that all about...). Even during those cold winters. Art was supposed to be inspiring and creative, but he spoke with a controlled tone through a measured delivery - it was so focused that you would have thought art was more about discipline than idleness.

But aside from that question which boggled everyone's mind back then, he did introduce us to Bridget Riley. And now a few leap years later, she has returned to prominence with a small exhibition at the National Gallery, re-introducing me to those vaguely familiar thoughts of energy, colour and space.

Juxtapositioned with art of a more classical variety which had influenced Riley in her artworks - including Seurat, Mantegna and Raphael - her artworks suddenly made more sense. I am no art buff, but even those older paintings had an energy and rhythm which was hard to miss.

It is a testament to the vibrancy of art exhibitions which can continue to re-invent, and make us question what art fundamentally means and what it is supposed to represent. So the National Galley does Riley, and the Tate Modern does Gauguin - some people may think it should be the other way round!

See relevant links:
BBC Video: Bridget Riley at 80
National Gallery: Bridget Riley - Paintings and Related Works