László Moholy-Nagy & André Kertész: Photographers

László Moholy-Nagy 

László Moholy-Nagy was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as professor in the influential Bauhaus school. He art was influenced by constructivism and he believed in the integration of technology and industry into the arts. He continued his work in America later in life.

This photograph was taken from a radio tower in Berlin in 1928, and almost appears to be an abstract painting. From this vantage point, the garden, walls and pathways appear as shapes and textures in a balanced artistic composition. I like that he creates the feeling of abstract art from real-life images. The two pathways near the top of the circle balance out with the two pathways leaving at the bottom; the asymmetrical composition "begins" in the center of the circle, and then my eye drifts outward from the organic shapes at the center to the more formal, strict and "harsh" shapes of the walls. The space on the rooftop gives my eye a place to rest momentarily, before moving on up to the windows on the opposite side of the building, at the edge of the frame. My eye is drawn to the shapes and the interplay between the shapes in this composition.  I find it interesting and beautiful.

 

André Kertész 

André Kertész is often considered to be the father of photojournalism.  It was said that he stuck to no political agenda and offered no deeper thought to his photographs other than the simplicity of life, and in this, he took an intimate approach to imagemaking. He did not offer opinions with his photographs, merely presented the image and let others make of it what they might.

 In this photo, Kertész has created a diagonal composition using the angle of the camera vis-a-vis the street, and using the tracks from the tires in the snow.  Even the footprints in the snow seem to be leading in a diagonal direction.  The tree and the boy with his dog form a counterpoint, and a focal point. I like this composition because it is dynamic, yet peaceful.