I took a little adventure last weekend down to the Tate Modern with my girlfriend to view one of their latest exhibitions. Following on from the Modernism Exhibition at the V&A and a little reading about the Bauhaus I was fully prepared to take on more information from what seems like ‘Modernist Season’ around London at the moment. It’s not a bad thing of course, and the cross-referencing between the various museums sure helps keep the information in!
“This thought-provoking and visually stunning exhibition is a long overdue opportunity to rediscover two pioneers of Modernism: German-born Josef Albers (1888-1976) and Hungarian-born László Moholy-Nagy (1895-1946).” - Tate Modern Website
The Albers and Moholy-Nagy exhibition is predominantly art based (rather than design or architecture) and the similarities between the two artists are shown extremely well. The use of media, thoughts on perception, colour and form, techniques and theories seem to intertwine more than just a little bit. The exhibition follows the two from their years at the Bauhaus together and then onto the US and right up until their deaths.
“Everyone is talented. Every healthy man has a deep capacity for bringing to development the creative energies found in his nature.” - László Moholy-Nagy
Albers particularly seemed highly interested in the psychology of perception and the interaction of colour. Moholy-Nagy seems to have a prime interest in the Photograms, which look like an extremely simple and yet interesting media to work with. The idea of the Photogram is to project the silhouette of objects onto photographic paper and then develop the paper in the normal way. The process uses no camera or film.
A few of the materials which a lot of the work was created with included sand-blasted glass, opaque flashed glass and machine-engraved vinylite which are each very interesting materials. Some of the pieces seemed to have a more finished and interesting look to them and the glass in some pieces was extremely thin and the detailing highly intricate.
One of the interesting parts of the exhibition for me was nearing the end when the text narrating the story told how Moholy-Nagy was diagnosed with Leukemia. This worried Moholy because of the Nucleur age and the turning of the focus onto this new way of living. Some of the artwork produced from him during this period was extremely vibrant and full of life, as though he was pouring every ounce he had left into what he believed in.
If you’re in London and looking for an interesting afternoon activity then this exhibition will surely capture your senses well. It’s on until the 4th of June (2006).
