Das Weltgebäude (The Edifice of the World)

Photoplastics. In this work we see greater liberties with space and form, exemplifying László Moholy-Nagy’s own style of montage. The artist wished to bring order to the layering of elements in his montages and maximize their legibility for the viewer, unlike the chaotic and image-packed work of the Dadaists. Despite this ordering, the meaning of the piece is meant to be associative rather than assigned. The deep significance suggested by such a ponderous title is not readily discernible. According to Lucia Moholy, a title was generally added after a composition was completed rather than being part of its genesis. In this whimsical piece the universe is shown to be comprised of a scaffolding of Constructivist beams and women’s legs, which provides shelter for a monkey treed by aggressive pelicans. The legacy of Hungarian artist Laszlo Moholy-Nagy is among the most cherished in the lineage of photographic art, and he can be defined as a visionary whose radical experiments with photography entirely re-imagined the possibilities for the medium. Working in the early 20th century when photography was not considered a form of high art, Moholy-Nagy actively sought to break down boundaries and find new languages of photographic discourse. In doing so, he left behind an oeuvre of visual ideas that have provided artistic license to a century’s worth of photographers to experiment boldly beyond the conventional definitions of what photography is expected to be. Edition: 1 of 1