[Nude (Negative)]
Returned to lender
This work of art was on loan to the museum and has since been returned to its lender.The Hungarian painter, designer, filmmaker, and Bauhaus professor László Moholy-Nagy pushed the boundaries of photography when he began to investigate the medium in 1922. He explored the myriad possibilities of light-sensitive materials and produced some of the first modern photograms by placing everyday objects on sheets of photographic paper and exposing them to light. The resulting spatial, tonal, and gestural qualities of these abstract compositions challenged traditional modes of perception and representation. Moholy-Nagy was also fascinated by the visual effect of reversing the tones of his photographs through the production of negative prints, as seen here. In this nude study, he placed a figure in a verdant landscape, constructing a resonant play of light and dark that the eye cannot still.
Artwork Details
- Title: [Nude (Negative)]
- Artist: László Moholy-Nagy (American (born Hungary), Borsod 1895–1946 Chicago, Illinois)
- Date: 1927–29
- Medium: Gelatin silver print
- Dimensions: Image: 15 3/4 × 11 1/2 in. (40 × 29.2 cm)
Framed: 30 × 25 in. (76.2 × 63.5 cm) - Classification: Photographs
- Credit Line: Promised Gift of Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee, in celebration of the Museum’s 150th Anniversary
- Curatorial Department: Photographs