Kepes came to the U.S. in 1937 at the invitation of fellow Hungarian László Moholy-Nagy, who was opening a Chicago design institute inspired by the Bauhaus, the famed interdisciplinary German art school that had revolutionized art education before it closed under pressure from the Nazi regime in 1933. Kepes headed the curriculum on light and color, fostering an experimental approach to photography through photograms, manipulated negatives, and investigations of light, all of which are present in this photograph. The original photogram records light flashing and reflecting through a still life that includes a mirror, a coil of wire, and what appears to be a loupe. Kepes then drew a network of lines directly onto that image, which became the negative for this print, combining processes to create a hybrid work that reflects the Bauhaus’s innovative use of materials and integration of art and design.

—Text taken from the Carter Handbook (2023)