None of us would be surprised to find young artists willing to put their past behind them and make their mark on the culture in a place like Williamsburg. However, in the case of man rayWilliamsburg was his past. It’s important to remember that today’s Brooklyn bears little resemblance to the Brooklyn of the early 20th century, where this famous avant-garde artist grew up. At the time he was known as emmanuel radnitzkyThe son of an immigrant garment worker. It was after he began his art life in Manhattan that he met and formed an association with gallerist Alfred Stieglitz, which marked his transformation from aspiring painter to shape-shifting photographer. It will start.
Works inspired by the works of Marcel Duchamp Nude descending the stairs part 2 After seeing the work at the landmark Armory Show in 1913, Ray became friends with the artist himself. Despite the considerable language barrier, this relationship provided him with a path into liberating territory. surrealism Dada in general and in particular. “This movement, which refused to be defined or codified, gave Ray the basis to leave his old life behind and head to Paris, where he could reinvent himself unfettered by the past. ” writes James Paine in his book. new great art commentary video above. This move, almost as dramatic for its time as going from Brooklyn to Manhattan, gave him the chance to become a major artist.
Shortly after settling in Montparnasse, Ray “accidentally rediscovered cameraless photograms, which he called “rheograph. ” This technique of placing objects on photosensitive paper and exposing their arrangement to light produces images that have been described as “pure Dada work” and “explores photography as a medium capable of expressing abstraction and conceptual depth.” He played an important role in redefining it.” It was in the same part of town that he formed his artistic and romantic partnership. alice pudding more widely known as Kiki de Montparnasse — and became even more widely known a century later. le violon danglein 2022 it became the most expensive photograph ever sold.
Sale price is $12.4 million le violon dangle It includes not only Rei and Kiki’s communal life, but also a process of technical experimentation, the result of which is “a surrealist interest in challenging traditional representation and fusing everyday objects with the human form.” It’s less interesting than the story behind it. It may seem like it’s from the age of Photoshop (not to mention an AI-generated image), but this photo convincingly places a violin-style soundhole on Kiki’s classically rendered body. , suggesting to viewers that photography has a non-documentary potential that was previously unimaginable. — never in Williamsburg, anyway.
Related content:
with man ray Cinema Pur: Watch four groundbreaking surrealist films from the 1920s
Man Ray’s portraits of Ernest Hemingway, Ezra Pound, Marcel Duchamp, and many other 1920s icons
Home movies of two surrealists: A look back at the lives of Man Ray and René Magritte
Created the “Surrealist Chessboard” featuring portraits of Surrealist icons such as Man Ray, Dali, Breton, Picasso, Magritte, and Miró (1934)
Alfred Stieglitz: eloquent eyesreveals the “father of modern photography”
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on Twitter @Colinbemust or facebook.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
