Modernism in Animation - Laszlo Moholy Nagy (OUAN401)

The lecture programme is cool because it shows me a whole bunch of stuff that I'd never normally find out about of my own accord, such as the Hungarian modernist animator and artist Laszlo Moholy Nagy. His middle name is "Moholy", which sounds a little like "holy moly".

Nagy experimented with loads of different mediums and was a massive modernist modern man, advocating for the use of technology to improve art.

I'm not quite sure what his films mean. They're very abstract. His film "Ein Lichtspiel Schwarz Weiss Grau", or "A Light Play Black and White Gray" according to Goog trans, uses a lot of light tricks, shadows and steady camera movements to create an entrancing effect.

I like the film because it's completely off the wall, detached from reality but with a sense of familiarity. The strong silhouettes and the occasional hint of something recognisable flashing up on screen, like curtain blinds or shiny metal, combines with the bright light that makes the animation feel dreamlike. It's like recalling a memory from early childhood.

I wonder how on earth Nagy was influenced to create it. The shadows blend into each other wonderfully seamlessly, and I'd love to try something inspired by this medium, purely to experiment with camera techniques and what kind of atmosphere can be achieved with light, shade and contrast alone. I think it's bloody brilliant!

Modernist animation is designed to be for everyone. It's universally understandable and stripped down, which I really appreciate.

A light shining through a board with holes in it