Untitled 1940

This untitled piece by György Kepes is a world of light and shadow, captured with a photographic lens rather than a paintbrush, yet it speaks to the heart of how we perceive and represent space. Look at how those fine white lines crisscross the frame, creating an almost architectural structure that holds the composition together. It's like Kepes is building a stage, a set for these luminous forms to play out their silent drama. I can imagine him in the darkroom, coaxing these shapes and lines into existence, patiently waiting for the light to reveal its secrets. Kepes seems to be asking, "How can we make the invisible visible?" It reminds me of Moholy-Nagy's light experiments and their shared interest in the Bauhaus ideas around art and technology. They both seem to say that photography can be more than just a recording device, it can be a way of thinking, a way of seeing the world anew.