Mountains of Buda 1918

László Moholy-Nagy made this landscape of the Buda hills with pastels. You can see how the artist applies strokes of pure pigment directly to the surface, building up layers of color to create depth and texture. Unlike traditional oil painting, pastel offers a more immediate and direct connection between the artist's hand and the artwork, allowing for a rapid and spontaneous expression of form and light. Moholy-Nagy was deeply engaged with industrial production and modern technology. He embraced photography and film and experimented with new materials and techniques. Yet, this image is rooted in the more traditional medium of pastel. Perhaps this embrace of traditional and industrial processes represents a synthesis of handcraft and industrial production, showing us how materials, making, and context challenge traditional distinctions between fine art and craft.