Man Ray (Photobook) [Gebundene Ausgabe]

Although many people think of Man Ray only as a photographer, his artistic work began with training in drawing. His approach to photography was always that of a painter, seeing photography as a way to create images with light as well as with the hand. He made two major innovations in technique, being the first to learn to expose images on photographic paper to capture their outline (rayographs) and to control the solarization process (where a partial reversal of values occurs in a photograph, accompanied by a characteristic edge) to create a consistent halo appearance. He also developed many ways to affect the surface appearance of the objects he photographed to make them more abstract. Deeply interested in Dadaism and Surrealism (although never formally joining either movement), Man Ray also captured witty titles and everyday objects in his photography to give additional depth to the message of his work. You will find many of his well-known portraits of famous artists in this volume.

Before saying more about this outstanding volume, let me caution you (as the cover art surely must) that Man Ray often created images of nude women. If such things offend you, this volume will not be appropriate for you.

The essays in this volume as reproduced in English, German, and French. I found them very helpful for providing technical background on the influences on and methods used in Man Ray's work. His approach was very Edison-like in its many unsuccessful experiments and accidents that led to important breakthroughs. A random mouse helped him learn how to do solarization.

It is not surprising that Marcel Duchamp and he became instant friends. Their perspectives on art have many points in common.

Born as Emmanuel Radnitzky in Philadelphia in 1890, he had moved to New York by age 7, and became exposed there to many important artistic influences. These included the Stieglitz gallery, the Armory Show in 1913, and leading artists in New York. He started as a photographer in 1914 just before meeting Marcel Duchamp. His primary years of productivity were spent in Paris, from which he was driven by the Nazi invasion in 1940. His return to the United States was less than a total joy, and he resided again in Paris after 1951.

I believe that this volume is as much a delight for the mind as it is for the eye. Subtle differences in processing of similar images create enormously changed reactions in the viewer. You then move forward to study the reason for your changed perspective and find it in a small detail . . . like a slightly lifted eyebrow. Miror images in positive and negative reproduced side by side on facing pages create a similar reaction.

Here are my favorites from these outstanding reproductions of Man Ray's best work:

Integration of Shadows 1919

Untitled 1922

La violin d'Ingres 1924

Retour a la raison 1923

Meret Oppenheim 1932

"Beauty in ultra violet" c. 1931

Erotique voilee [Meret Oppenheim] 1933

Le Priere c. 1930

Anatomia 1929

Nusch and Sonia 1935

Untitled 1931

Untitled [hair] 1931

Lee Miller c. 1930

Objet mathematique 1934-36

Les Arums 1039

Untitled [Dancer] c. 1935

Enough Rope 1944

Rayograph 1925

Rayograph 1930

Champs delicieux 1922

Marcel Duchamp 1916

Constantin Brancusi 1933

Max Ernst c. 1934

Andre Breton c. 1930

Marcel Duchamp 1921

Joan Miro c. 1930

Pablo Picasso 1932

If you enjoy the the ultimate in photographic creativity, this is the book for you!

After you finish this work, I suggest that you take these insights and begin to create some art of your own. Consider creating composite images by including your own collages with natural objects and photographing them, for example. You can even include your own poems as adjoining commentaries.

Expand your mind and your grasp by taking advantage of all the resources at your disposal!