Vajda Lajos Elágazó Formák 1940 1940

Vajda Lajos made this branching form drawing in 1940, probably with ink. It’s a super graphic work made of dense areas of cross hatching and swirling lines, a build up of marks that seem to be groping towards the unknown. The image suggests a kind of composite creature or growth, an assemblage of organic forms sprouting into being. In the bottom left, you’ll notice what look like disembodied hands. These float near the base of the image and seem to be reaching out. The forms, though abstract, have a real presence because of the density of the marks and the way they create volume, almost like a sculpture. Vajda was interested in the Surrealist use of automatism as a way of drawing, letting images emerge from the unconscious. It reminds me a bit of the work of André Masson who was also interested in spontaneous mark-making and biomorphic forms. Ultimately, this piece invites us to consider the possibility of art to reveal hidden or emergent realities.