Abstract Composition (Abstrakte Komposition) / László Moholy-Nagy
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About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1953/2.9
- Title
- Abstract Composition (Abstrakte Komposition)
- Artist
- László Moholy-Nagy
- Artist Nationality
- American
- Artist Life Dates
- Hungary, 1895-1946
- Medium and Support
- watercolor, India ink, and collage on off-white wove paper
- Object Creation Date
- circa 1925
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Germany (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Germany (nation)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Style/Group/Movement
- abstract
- Inscription
- Signed l.r.: Moholy-Nagy
- Dimensions
- 49.1 cm x 34.7 cm (19 5/16 in. x 13 11/16 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Drawing
- Primary Object Type
- abstract
- Secondary Object Classification
- Mixed Media
- Secondary Object Type
- collage
- Physical Description
- A spare and restrained abstract composition, built up out of layers of mostly translucent basic geometric forms. The grey tones of the background are created with large rectangle shapes. In the upper part of the piece is a light colored circle, with a brighter circle inside it. Both are crossed by an axis of bright, thin orange lines. On the left, the point of a triangle protrudes from the edge. It is covered by a faint gray trapezoidal shape. Three small black semi-circles are also visible: one along the lines inside the circles; the other two along the trapezoidal shape and just beneath the triangle.
- Subject Matter
- A restrained formal abstract composition, the subject of the piece is the relationship between the shapes and colors. Moholy-Nagy theorized that in the visual realm, space, time, mass, and light can become like one perceptible substance. In this piece we can also see the artist's interest in the spare forms and clean lines of industrial design, an interest of the Bauhaus school where he taught in the twenties.
- design
- Primary Keywords
- abstraction
- bauhaus
- circles (plane figures)
- collages
- geometric abstraction
- ink
- minimal
- triangles (polygons)
- watercolors
- Secondary Keywords
- visual arts
- artistic concepts
- associated concepts
- coating (material)
- coating by form
- concepts in the arts
- descriptors
- european
- european styles and periods
- forms of expression
- genres
- geometric concepts
- geometric figures
- international post-1945 styles and movements
- materials
- materials by function
- mathematical concepts
- modern and contemporary art
- modern european regional styles and movements
- modern european styles and movements
- modern german styles and movements
- objects we use
- paintings
- paintings by material or technique
- people and culture
- plane figures
- polygons
- post-1945 fine arts styles and movements
- scientific concepts
- styles and periods
- styles and periods by region
- visual works
- visual works by medium or technique
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 883 x 1257
- File Size
- 99 KB
- Record
- 1953/2.9
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1953-sl-2.9/1953_2.9.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
Cite this Item
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- Full citation
-
"Abstract Composition (Abstrakte Komposition); László Moholy-Nagy." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1953-sl-2.9/1953_2.9.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 02, 2024.