Untitled (Composition with Magic Two)

Jaroslav Rössler

Gelatin silver print

National Gallery of Art

This striking abstract photograph exemplifies the radical experimentation of Czech avant-garde photography in the 1920s. Created by Jaroslav Rössler, a pioneer of Czech modernist photography and member of the influential Devětsil artists' group, this work reduces reality to essential geometric forms through masterful manipulation of light and shadow. Rössler fused elements of Cubism, Futurism, and Constructivism to create images that transcend mere documentation, offering instead a new visual reality that feels remarkably contemporary nearly a century later.