About this artwork

This is the first of three works painted on a new type of aluminium called silberit, hence the title. From the mid-1920s, Moholy-Nagy abandoned traditional easel painting in favour of experimentation with new industrial materials, such as aluminium, plastic and celluloid. Aluminium had associations with new technology and also satisfied Moholy-Nagy's desire to, as he put it, 'paint with light', since the material was reflective. Painting on a highly reflective surface gave the impression that the colour was floating in front of the material to which it is applied.

Updated before 2020

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László Moholy-Nagy

László Moholy-Nagy