Panoramic (10.5 x 21 cm) single postcard featuring Sil I by László Moholy-Nagy from the National Galleries of Scotland collection.
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.
László Moholy-Nagy (1895 –1946) was a Hungarian painter and photographer as well as a professor in the Bauhaus school. He was highly influenced by constructivism and a strong advocate of the integration of technology and industry into the arts.
