Kinetic art is art from any medium that contains movement perceivable by the viewer or that depends on motion for its effects. Canvas paintings that extend the viewer's perspective of the artwork and incorporate multidimensional movement are the earliest examples of kinetic art. More pertinently speaking, kinetic art is a term that today most often refers to three-dimensional sculptures and figures such as mobiles that move naturally or are machine operated. The moving parts are generally powered by wind, a motor or the observer. Kinetic art encompasses a wide variety of overlapping techniques and styles.
Édouard Manet, Le Ballet Espagnol (1862).
At the Races, 1877–1880, oil on canvas, by Edgar Degas, Musée d'Orsay, Paris
Edgar Degas, The Orchestra at the Opera (c. 1870)
Jesús Rafael Soto was a Venezuelan op and kinetic artist, a sculptor and a painter.
Brussels Mural, Jesús Soto (1958). Museo de Bellas Artes de Caracas.
Penetrable amarillo. Museo Soto, Ciudad Bolivar.
The Soto sphere in Caracas