Vajda Lajos Zenei Ütemek 1939 1939

Vajda Lajos made this graphic work, Zenei Ütemek, which translates to "Musical Beats," in 1939. Just looking at it, I can imagine him drawing, maybe with charcoal or a very soft pencil, allowing himself to feel the rhythm of the marks. There’s a stark simplicity to the shapes, sharp peaks and angles dancing across the surface like notes on a staff. It's like he’s trying to capture the raw essence of sound. I wonder if he was listening to something specific while he worked or if the music was all in his head. The texture has this ghostly feel, like an echo or a memory. I think of artists like Hilma af Klint who were also trying to visualize the invisible. Artists are always in conversation with each other, even across time, riffing on similar themes, experimenting with marks and gestures. It’s all one big, beautiful feedback loop of inspiration.