From Practice To Theory: Analyzing the Conceptual Roots of Moholy’s Photographic Thought
F.A.L.M. Dortmans (TU Delft - Architecture and the Built Environment)
A.J. Oxenaar (TU Delft - History, Form & Aesthetics)
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Abstract
This thesis explores the relationship between Lucia Moholy’s photographic practice during the Bauhaus period (1919–1933) and her later theoretical contributions in A Hundred Years of Photography 1839–1939. This study reveals that Lucia Moholy’s significant contributions played a key role in shaping the visual legacy of the Bauhaus and the work of László Moholy-Nagy, yet they remain largely overlooked. The thesis identifies three types of connections: direct references to her own work, overarching thematic continuities such as subjectivity and gender, and personal narratives embedded in both her images and writing. By tracing Moholy’s trajectory from practitioner to theorist, this study examines how her precise, documentary photographic style evolved into a broader cultural analysis of photography’s role in modern life.