Lands 1920

László Moholy-Nagy made this painting, called Lands, with what looks like gouache or tempera on paper. The colors are laid down in flat shapes, kind of like pieces of colored paper cut out and collaged together. It's like he's building up the image from the ground up. Looking closer, you can see how the different shapes and colors are laid down. The red feels strong and assertive, cutting across the more muted yellows and blues. And then there are those playful patterns of dots that add a whole other layer of visual interest. The surface has this matte quality, which makes the colors feel almost chalky and soft. That big red 'X' towards the left seems to be holding the whole composition together. It’s like a key structural element. It reminds me of other artists who were playing with abstraction around the same time, like Sophie Taeuber-Arp, who was making these incredible geometric compositions with a similar kind of playful energy. Ultimately, 'Lands' keeps me guessing. It’s a reminder that art doesn’t always have to make perfect sense to be deeply affecting.