I’ve been reading László Moholy-Nagy’s book, and one idea that resonates with me, is that art should offer a new view of the world by creating relationships between familiar and unfamiliar objects. You can substitute this statement with clarity and abstraction, and that’s what I chose to explore in comp class on Wednesday. we experimented with different degrees of clarity (never illustrating) and created movement that was rooted in an action or a subject that held meaning for the students. I worked with each student individually, and the range of the experiments was fascinating. I love dance for its ingrained collaborative qualities, and for the openness to explore multiple movement languages.
[ László Moholy-Nagy, Lightplay, film still, 1930 ]
Back to Moholy-Nagy. I forgot that I downloaded an iphone app months ago dedicated to his exhibition at Gemeentemuseum Den Haag. get it, it’s free. and check out the film Lightplay (in the app) from 1930, which he made using a light machine. here’s a lame ass soundless version on youtube if you must. such a beautiful exploratory of textures, light and shadows.
[ László Moholy-Nagy, photogram, 1938 ]
Moholy-Nagy thought of work that presented an already existing reality such as photographs representing reality, as reproduction. did you say paintings made from photographs? exactly.