"I do not photograph nature.
I photograph my visions." - Man Ray
I photograph my visions." - Man Ray
This is the fourth chapter of my “INFLUENCES” series and actually one of my most important. It’s important because it wasn’t until I discovered the work of Man Ray that I knew photography would be a lifelong love of mine, even if I didn’t have access to produce my own work.
Man Ray, a Jewish-American artist with a background in painting, film and readymade objects, was also associated in the disciplines of Cubism, Dada and later Surrealism.
From 1915-1920, Ray was solely a determined Dada artist in New York, but it was not until moving to Paris in 1921, and after meeting fellow photographer and domestic partner, Lee Miller, that he immersed himself into photography.
Known for his portraits of fellow friends and artists like Max Ernst and Pablo Picasso, as well as his muses/lovers Miller and model Kiki de Montparnasse, he conceived such imaginative and modern photographs, owing to the Surrealist landscape of the time. He also utilized a familiar technique he created in which he “solarized” his photos, producing a glowing effect, reminiscent of a negative or inverted film image. Referring to these images as photograms or rayographs, after himself, Man Ray completely changed the way photography was viewed. Avant-garde and dreamy images, rayographs that resembled x-rays and portraits of provocatively posed mannequins quickly became his legendary trademark.
One of the reasons that I’m so blown away by Man Ray’s photography is because his visionary images are still puzzling and cerebral over ninety years after their initial printing (it's no surprise that my home page has a Man Ray image on it). I want to know what HE wants me to see when I gaze at his art. I want to know what HE was thinking. I sense his impatience with the stagnant art culture at the time and his determination to breathe new life into everything he did. In my mind, his non-compromising point-of-view is warranted of a trailblazing footprint in every aspect of the art world.
[*All images borrowed from the internet.]