Man ray, painter, photographer and film maker

Man ray was mainly known for his photography work which crosses between two different art movements ‘dada and surrealism’.  He experimented with photography, seeing different ways to produce the picture. Around 1921 Ray also rediscovered how to make ‘camera-less’ pictures, which he called rayographs. He also experimented with cubist style of painting, and later moved to a different style; abstraction.

Ray was inspired by an artist called Stieglitz, who also worked with photography. Stieglitz used a similar style to Man ray, snapping images that provided a factual look at the subject. Ray also found inspiration at the armory show of 1913. The show featured the works of arts such as Picasso, Wassily Kandinsky and Marcel Duchamp.

   This is one of my favourite Mvan Ray photographs. The photography doesn’t contain much detail of what is included in object, nor the outline of the object and the negative and positive space. That’s why I prefer this photography, as it’s something different and new. Most photography’s always contain the details and show every colour on the subject, but Man ray develops his picture in a different, way which interests the viewer. The effect of the negativity in the photo, shows the object going from light to dark. This is because where certain areas of the object in the picture are placed, for example if some parts have been placed under another then the area is dark, but if there above, the object is lighter. He used a machine called an enlarger, it’s what gives the negative effects of the picture.                                                                  

ENLARGER

                                                        

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIr9NXrp1ro

The link is a video about Man rays portrait of lee miller, a woman whom Man worked with, and also loved dearly. The video explains how Man ray created a new style/effect on his portrait of lee miller, and also his relationship with lee miller.

Looking at Man rays work, I started to work in his style and create a few examples of my developed negative.  The outcome was better than I expected

My own outcome in the style of the artist