Detail

The painting “Composition Q VIII” by the Hungarian artist László Moholy-Nagy was created in 1922. The elements of the painting seem to be afloat on the surface. The lightness of forms is supported by the transparent array of colors. All elements, except the cross, are out of balance. Despite the dynamics of the various components, a kind of tranquility is achieved. In 1922 Moholy-Nagy moved to Berlin, the city that at that time enjoys the reputation of being the European center of avant-garde movements. In the same year the constructivist congress is held in Weimar. As early as around 1920 Moholy-Nagy becomes acquainted with the purely abstract art of the Russian avant-garde and the ideas of Dutch artist Piet Mondrian. He derives his ideas from his occupation with other forms of art, such as sculpture, photography and architecture, as well as film and theater. The new transparent glass architecture becomes crucial in his appraisal of the art of painting. Looking back, the artist writes: „While I strove to sketch these glass architectures, I happened upon the idea of transparency. The various color fields are slightly altered, even tinted where they intersect and so the impression of transparency of all elements in the painting is achieved. The artist interprets the painting as a dissolving foil-like surface.