Car Light Study #3 1937

Nathan Lerner made this photogram, "Car Light Study #3," without a camera or date, though I imagine it was sometime in the middle of the 20th century. The process is key here. It's about how he orchestrates light and shadow on photosensitive paper. The result is not so much a depiction but an index of light's behavior. I love the way the stark black backdrop throws the bright, arcing trails of light into sharp relief. It's like watching a dance of energy. The lines vary in thickness and intensity, some bold and assertive, others whispery and ephemeral. Look at the lower-right corner. See that jagged, almost seismographic line? That's my favorite part, a little rebellion amidst the controlled chaos. It makes me think of László Moholy-Nagy, Lerner's teacher at the Chicago Bauhaus, who was deeply interested in the interplay of light and form. But really, this piece feels like a conversation, an ongoing exploration, with all the artists who've ever tried to capture the elusive essence of light. Isn't it beautiful how a single image can contain so much mystery?