Last month I attended the Man Ray retrospective at the Metropolitan Museum of Art,
When Objects Dream. Man Ray’s work, specifically his photograms, which he called “Rayographs,” had a strong influence on my own, especially when I was delving into the realm of experimental photography. Many of his Rayographs were made using found objects and plant matter, everything from cheese graters and toy guns to light bulbs and ferns. Lightbulbs were a particular favorite of mine when I was working in the medium – I really enjoyed the effect variations of translucence would have on the finished image.
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| Man Ray, Various Rayographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art |
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| Électricité (Electricity), 1931 |
While I already knew a lot about his career in art, I was thrilled to see examples from every era. From his early paintings and collage works, through every stage of his experiments with camera-free photography, and then into the medium of film. His musings on the human form, of which French lingerie designer Kiki de Montparnasse was a frequent feature, are striking in their beauty and whimsy.
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| Untitled (Glass Tears), ca. 1930-33 |
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| Film still from L'etoile de mer (The Starfish), 1928 |
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| De quoi écrire un poème (Subject for Writing a Poem), 1923 |
A small plaque in the middle of the gallery caught my eye:
“Man Ray first picked up a camera in 1915, to document his art. Through this experience, he discovered that the works acquired new qualities when reproduced in black and white. He made photographic portraits, too, which in Paris would become a dependable source of income. Reveling in the camera’s transformative optical abilities, Man Ray soon used it as a tool to facilitate his self-appointed role as a “marvelous explorer of those aspects that our retinas will never record.” He sought to revel the creative potential of objects in his studio and in 1918 began a series of photographs using specifically arranged everyday items.”
I have always been frustrated by the idea that what I see cannot be directly translated as an image, but I can come as close as possible with the use of a camera. In 2011, my Instagram handle, mycameraeyes, was borne out of a similar sentiment. I make photographs to preserve the things I see.
My favorite item on display, however, was one that has always intrigued me whenever I have come across a collection of Man Ray's works.
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| Object to Be Destroyed, 1923 (1969) |
From the placard:
"Man Ray made the first version of this work in 1923, as a step to standardize his painting practice - working to the time of the metronome - and, adding the cut-out of an eye, as a witness to his work. Later, in 1932, following the departure of his companion and collaborator Lee Miller, he replaced the original detail with a photograph of one of her eyes. Many versions of the work were produced after that, both as multiples and, in a version known as Indestructible Object, with the substituted eye of his second wife, Juliette Man Ray."
I am fascinated by the idea of such a seemingly mundane idea taking such a whimsical form: to work to the rhythm of the metronome while being watched by the eye of someone he loves and who loves him. I feel so fortunate to have been able to see the Object and all of the work on display in person.
