Photogram 1924

László Moholy-Nagy made this photogram without a camera, using light and photosensitive paper. Imagine him there in the darkroom placing objects on the paper. It’s all about shapes and light. The composition is dynamic, with a cross-like form dominating the picture, sliced by a hard angle. Then a floating circle echoes the same tonal range. Look at the way the light bleeds around each shape creating soft shadows that are not quite black or white but exist in some dreamy grey zone. I am feeling the push-pull, the play of dark and light. It’s like he’s inviting us to see the world in a new way, to look past the surface of things and to find beauty and meaning in the simplest of forms. Moholy-Nagy was part of the Bauhaus movement, experimenting with new media and technologies, always thinking about how art could shape and influence the world around us. We are all connected through shared human experiences, experimenting and influencing each other across time.