"Violin Ingres": how one of the most famous photographic masterpieces appeared, which caused a huge number of imitations and variations. Man Ray in Kiki's Memories Man Ray: masculine, noun

Man Ray / Man Ray (1890-1976) - French and American artist, photographer and film director, whose work had a huge impact on the avant-garde art of the entire XX century: from Dada and Surrealism to abstract and commercial photography.

Emmanuel Radnitsky, that's actually the name of Man Ray, was born on August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia, where his family had recently emigrated from the Kovno province of the Russian Empire. Seven years later, the family moved to Brooklyn, New York. Four more years later, in 1912, due to frequent anti-Semitic attacks, she was forced to change her surname to Ray. When the young man was 22 years old, he took the name Man - transforming his present - Emmanuel, Manni. Soon - the name of Man Ray began to sound like a single, unified one. It was this name that was destined to become famous. Man Ray showed a keen interest in painting from an early age. Therefore, in 1908, after graduating from school, he decides to become an artist. The early works of the classic differ in form and content. The young artist, in search of himself, tries various styles and trends, including cubism, futurism, abstraction. He was the first among the masters to use a paint sprayer, the so-called airbrush, in painting. All his work is saturated with avant-garde, which is so inherent in these times. In 1915, he met the artist Marcel Duchamp, one of the leaders of Dadaism, thanks to whom he actively immersed himself in avant-garde art: he publishes the New York Dada magazine, creates the Anonymous Society, an American organization of avant-garde art.

The young man was greatly influenced by the work of Alfred Stieglitz, then one of the most influential artists, photographer and patron of the arts. Man Ray became interested in photography at his suggestion. Ray was attracted by the possibilities of photo collage - combining real and fictional images in one image. He buys the first camera in order to shoot his own works - paintings, sculptures and compositions, then friends and acquaintances, later, in order to earn money, he began to take orders from everyone who needed such services. In 1920, he began working as a portrait photographer. Man Ray's popularity gradually grew and in the early 1920s he became one of the most sought-after and highly paid photographers in Paris. Soon, being photographed by Man Ray was considered prestigious.

In the 1930s, Man Ray began to work actively for fashion magazines - Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Vu and Vanity Fair. He was invited to Harper's Bazaar by the magazine's legendary art director Alexey Brodovitch, whose arrival radically changed the look of Bazaar first, and then the look of all American gloss. To transform the magazine, Brodovitch attracted the most avant-garde artists, common friends with Man Ray - Dali, Chagall, Raoul Dufy, Miro, Cocteau and many others, but only Man Ray was the first and for a long time the only sur-photographer who mixed different genres of art. It is Man Ray who is the author of the most famous photograph of Coco Chanel.

Man Ray's most famous work is Ingres's Violin, which has become a cult image of the twentieth century. Posed for this photo is the notorious Kiki de Montparnasse (Kiki de Montparnasse) - the muse of all the eminent artists of Paris. Man Ray's work is something like a photographic pun, an "untranslatable play on words", or rather images. "Ingres' violin" is a literal translation of the French idiom violon d'Ingres (literally: this is his strong point, his weakness, his favorite pastime). This expression owes its origin to the famous French artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), who played the violin well. Since then, the French began to call any near-artistic hobby by his name.

The number of famous and famous people whose portraits were created by Man Ray is impressive: James Joyce, Tristan Tzara, Jean Cocteau, Louis Aragon and Andre Breton, Gertrude Stein and Elsa Schiaparelli, Duchess of Windsor and Margaret Oppenheim, Igor Stravinsky and Eric Satie, famous French singers Juliette Greco and Yves Montand, Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali, Le Corbusier, Sergei Eisenstein, Robert Delaunay and many, many more.

Man Ray never took his pictures seriously, in his youth photography was a way to earn money, then it became an outlet, a means of switching attention from painting to sculpture. As Man himself said, he photographs only what is not interesting to draw. But the whole world knows Man Ray, first of all, as a brilliant photographer, whose images of the faces of the era are eye-catching. Transferring his artistic vision to film, Man Ray opened up a different side of photography, filling it with secrets, hints and halftones. He was not afraid to experiment, thanks to which such techniques as rayography and solarization appeared. With rayography, an image is obtained by directly exposing objects to photosensitive paper - objects appear deformed and refracted, and the solarization effect is obtained by repeated exposure of the negative - objects, faces and bodies acquire mystical outlines.

In 1951, Man Ray stopped filming and turned exclusively to painting. Many condemned this act of his, to which he replied: “I did not leave a photograph. I have been a photographer for 35 years. I have been a painter for 35 years. I am a person living a double life. In photography, I can do everything that I do in painting. Borders don't exist. Some say that this is a scam, to which I answer - today's lie is tomorrow's truth "...

The great creator, artist and photographer died in Paris, within the walls of his native studio in 1976. He was then not a lot, not a little - 86 years old. Buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery. "Impartial, but not indifferent" - this is the epitaph carved on his grave.

Man Ray, real name Emmanuel Radnicki, is an American artist, photographer and filmmaker. Invented the "solarization" technique and was the first to experiment with glass and negatives.

Born August 27 1890 1908 By 1912

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1910

IN 1924

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IN 1922

Man Ray, real name Emmanuel Radnitsky - American artist, photographer and filmmaker. Invented the "solarization" technique and was the first to experiment with glass and negatives.

Born August 27 1890 years in Philadelphia in a Jewish family of emigrants from Russia. A few years later, his family moved to New York. Here Ray studied art from 1908 By 1912 year: he graduated from the National Academy of Drawing in New York, and then attended drawing and watercolor classes at the F. Ferrer Center. He often went to contemporary art galleries, experimented a lot, tried himself in abstraction, cubism and futurism.

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Ray first began experimenting with photography after 1910 of the year. He photographs relatives, friends, gallery visitors looking at his own paintings. Necessity forced the artist to professionally engage in photography. At first, his work was not in demand, and Ray begins to offer the services of a photographer to his friends and artists. The circle of his clients is expanding every month.

IN 1924 One of the most famous works of Man Ray, the collage "Violin Ingres" (Le Violin d'Ingres), was published. The photographer loved and knew how to work with nudes. He photographed ordinary models and celebrities of the Parisian high society.

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IN 1922 Man Ray conducts an experiment: he imposes large glass negatives on a sheet of photographic paper, illuminated by a red lamp. Briefly turns on the lamp, then turns it off. And showing pictures. All objects in the picture are deformed by the glass touching the paper. And what was exposed to the light stood out in relief against a black background.

Solarization is another interesting innovation of the photographer. This is the result of re-exposure of the negative. At the same time, ordinary objects, faces, body parts turned into phantasmagoric and mysterious images.

In the 1930s, Ray took up photography extensively, creating portraits and surreal clothing designs that appeared in the pages of Harper's Bazaar, Vogue, Vu and Vanity Fair. IN 1940 Man Ray returned to the United States where he was known only as a photographer.

IN 1951 In the year Man Ray and his wife Juliette Brauner returned to Paris, where he continued his studies in painting and sculpture. Before 1960 's, Man Ray did not exhibit his work. But after in 1961 In 1999 he received a gold medal at the Venice Photo Biennale, an exhibition of Ray opened in Paris, and in 1966 year - a retrospective exhibition in Los Angeles.

Man Ray died in 1976 year in his studio in Paris at the age of 86.

The most famous works:

1931 solarisation

1936 Untitled

1945 Juliet & Margaret Nieman

Life is like an Amazing Journey.

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A man of the era, a classic of world photography, a great artist and creator. This is how one can characterize the eldest son of Jewish emigrants - Mani Luria and Meilakh Radnitsky. He was born on August 27, 1890 in Philadelphia, where his family had recently emigrated from the Kovno province of the Russian Empire. They named him Emmanuel. Emmanuel Radnitsky. But this name was not destined to become famous. Seven years later, the family moved to Brooklyn, New York. Four more years later, in 1912, due to frequent anti-Semitic attacks, she was forced to change her surname to Ray. Looking ahead, when the young man was 22 years old, he took the name Man - thus transforming his real name - Emmanuel, Manni. Soon - the name of Man Ray began to sound like a single, unified one.

Man Ray: masculine, noun.

There will always be people who look only at the technique of performance - their main question is “how”,
while others, more inquisitive, are interested in "why".
For me personally, an inspiring idea has always meant more than other information. Man Ray

Man Ray showed a keen interest in painting from an early age. Therefore, in 1908, after graduating from school, he decides to become an artist. The early works of the classic differ in form and content. The young artist, in search of himself, tries various styles and trends, including cubism, futurism, abstraction. He was the first among the masters to use a paint sprayer, the so-called airbrush, in painting. All his work is saturated with avant-garde, which is so inherent in these times. The work of Alfred Stieglitz, then one of the most influential artists, had a great influence on the young man.

In 1915, the first personal exhibition of the artist was held in New York, which, in other matters, did not bring him much popularity and commercial achievements. Around the same time, Man Ray acquired a camera, mainly to photograph his creations. In the future, it is his photographic works that will bring him worldwide popularity. Now, under the influence of his associates Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabio, Man Ray plunges headlong into the new Dadaist movement.

In 1920, Man Ray co-authored the avant-garde review New York Dada, dreaming of making it a periodical. However, the dream was not destined to come true for a number of financial and organizational reasons. Frustrated by this turn of events, the artist moves to Paris.
After moving, he successfully participates in various Dada exhibitions, maintains close relationships with many representatives of the European avant-garde, achieves recognition and respect in the field of Dadaism and Surrealism, and his circle of interests expands. Among them you can see paintings, and dada-objects, and collages. Man Ray's most famous Dada object is The Gift, which is an iron with fourteen copper nails glued to the soleplate. It is hard to imagine, but being so popular and well-known, the author's works do not enjoy commercial success.

This is where his photography experiments come into play. It turned out that photography is able to give the author much-needed financial independence. He photographed exhibitions and openings, visitors and works of masters, his friends and their loved ones. Starting small, Man Ray quickly gains momentum in this field and soon becomes one of the most sought after and expensive photographers in Paris. Increasingly, nude images appear in his works, and this will forever remain one of his favorite subjects, both in painting and in photography. At the same time, until the end of his days, Man Ray refers to photography as a lower art form.

In 1922, Man Ray discovered a method for creating photographs of images without using a camera. It happened by accident. Among the sheets already exposed, somehow there was one clean, unexposed. When foreign objects fell on the still wet sheet, and the light came on, the outlines of these objects were displayed on the sheet. He called them nothing else - as "reiographs", and invested deep meanings in these pictures, and understood only by a few.

Another important discovery of the photographer was the effect of solarization, re-exposure of the negative. The pictures were mysterious, and the images were unique.
A significant event in the life of Man Ray was a meeting with the famous singer and model Kiki de Montparnasse. She was so popular and influential that, having become a model, and part-time and the author's mistress, she brought him considerable fame and respect in the eyes of the Parisians.
A collage image of Kiki under the intriguing title "Violin Ingres" was published in 1924, and very quickly gained popularity around the world.
But do not think that he photographed only Kiki. Among his models were both ordinary people and representatives of the Parisian beau monde.

In 1929, Man Ray got a young and pretty assistant - Lee Miller. Their cooperation and warm romantic relationship lasted three years, and were quite fruitful for both. Rumor has it that some of Man Ray's work of the early 1930s was made by her. But in 1932, the girl chose to separate, developing her own career, and left for New York. Man Ray was very opposed to this, but soon found himself a new assistant, Berenice Abbott. Together with her, Man Ray opened the talent of the young French photographer Eugene Atget to the general public.

To Man Ray's deep regret, due to the escalating military situation, in 1940 he had to return to the United States of America, leaving in Paris all the most precious things - home, work, friends, new young love Edie Fidelin and almost all of his creations.

The big shock for him was the news that in America he is known only as a great photographer. Disappointed by this, Man Ray refuses to pick up a camera, and for all subsequent years he stubbornly paints, creates sculptures and teaches painting. Of course, all this practically does not bring any income. He lives thanks to the capital collected in France. Man Ray's whole attitude to photography fits into the phrase he somehow threw: "Creating is a divine destiny, copying is human."

The author married in 1946 to the dancer and fashion model Juliette Brauner. Soon they had a little daughter - Anna. And as soon as the family had the opportunity, namely in 1951, they returned to Paris. There he stubbornly continues to boycott any photo activity, does not take part in photo exhibitions, and is engaged in painting and sculpture. But despite this, his reputation as a photographer is still growing.

A new stage in the importance of photography in Man Ray's life begins in 1961, when he receives a gold medal at the Venice Photo Biennale. Soon, the author's personal exhibition was held in Paris, and in 1966 - in Los Angeles. Man Ray exhibitions are now regularly held around the world. They are organized by the Man Ray Foundation, which was established by his wife after his death. The Foundation owns the copyright to most of his works.

The great creator, artist and photographer died in Paris, within the walls of his native studio in 1976. He was then not a lot, not a little - 86 years old. Buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery. "Impartial, but not indifferent" - this is the epitaph carved on his grave.

Man Ray (eng. Man Ray, birth name - Emmanuel Radnitsky; August 27, 1890, Philadelphia - November 18, 1976, Paris) - French and American artist, photographer and film director. One of the most important representatives of surrealist photography and New Vision photography.

The eldest son of Jewish emigrants (Meilakh Rudzitsky and Manya Luria) from the Kovno province. In 1897, the family moved to New York, in 1912, due to constant anti-Semitic attacks, he changed his last name to Ray. Man Ray studied art in New York from 1908-1912. Man Ray became interested in photography by Alfred Stieglitz. Thanks to Stiglitz, Ray got acquainted with the European avant-garde. The first personal exhibition of the artist took place in New York (1915). In 1918, he began to seriously engage in photography and cinema, experimenting with various technologies (photogram (rayography), solarization, etc.). Together with M. Duchamp and Francis Picabia, Man Ray founded the New York branch of Dadaism, published the first and only issue of the Dada in New York magazine (1920). In 1921 he moved to Paris. He also authored a number of well-known and striking Dadaist objects and installations, created both independently and in collaboration with other artists. So in 1923, he created his creation "Object for Destruction", which was an ordinary metronome, on the pendulum of which a cropped photograph of a woman's eye was attached.

Together with Hans (Jean) Arp, Max Ernst, Masson, Miró and Picasso, he participated in a collective exhibition of the Surrealists at the Pierre Gallery in Paris (1925). He shot several avant-garde films (Starfish, based on a poem by R. Desnos, etc.), and also starred himself in the famous film by René Clair "Intermission". He created a series of famous photographic portraits of Eric Satie, James Joyce, Gertrude Stein, Jean Cocteau, a series of nudes, for which a young surrealist artist and at the same time a friend of Man Ray, Meret Oppenheim (1934) posed. Together with his assistant, Berenice, Abbott discovered the photo of Eugène Atget, bringing him into the limelight of the surrealists and the wider public.

In 1940-1951 he again lived in the USA, taught painting and photography. In 1946 he married Juliette Brauner with whom he had lived for six years. Together with Max Ernst and Dorothea Tanning, they played a double wedding - the couples were witnesses to each other. In 1951 he returned to Paris and lived there until his death. In 1963, he was accepted into the gaming community of avant-garde artists "College of Pataphysics", created in memory of Alfred Jarry. Buried in the Montparnasse Cemetery. Man Ray's wife Juliette is organized by the Man Ray Foundation, which owns a large collection of his works and copyrights. Man Ray's daughter Anna Ray is the author of a series of popular books about her father and his famous friends, including a richly illustrated book about Eric Satie.

In 1999, he was recognized by Art News magazine as one of the 25 most influential artists of the 20th century.

Man Ray is one of the characters in the movie Midnight in Paris (2011).

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Man Ray / Man Ray - iconic photographer of the twentieth century
History of photography

Man Ray(1890-1976) - French and American artist, photographer and film director, whose work had a huge impact on avant-garde art throughout the 20th century: from Dada and Surrealism to abstract and commercial photography.

Man Ray

Man Ray showed a keen interest in painting from an early age. Therefore, in 1908, after graduating from school, he decides to become an artist. The early works of the classic differ in form and content. The young artist, in search of himself, tries various styles and trends, including cubism, futurism, abstraction. He was the first among the masters to use a paint sprayer, the so-called airbrush, in painting. All his work is saturated with avant-garde, which is so inherent in these times. In 1915, he met the artist Marcel Duchamp, one of the leaders of Dadaism, thanks to whom he actively immersed himself in avant-garde art: he publishes the New York Dada magazine, creates the Anonymous Society, an American organization of avant-garde art.

2. Portrait d'Alfred Stieglitz, 1913

3. Invention, 1916

4. The Rope Dancer Accompanies Herself with Her Shadows, 1916.
The Museum of Modern Art, New York

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Transferring his artistic vision to film, Man Ray opened up a different side of photography, filling it with secrets, hints and halftones. He was not afraid to experiment, thanks to which such techniques as rayography and solarization appeared. With rayography, an image is obtained by directly exposing objects to photosensitive paper - objects appear deformed and refracted, and the solarization effect is obtained by repeated exposure of the negative - objects, faces and bodies acquire mystical outlines.

7.

8.

"Violin Ingres" - a literal translation of the French idiom violon d'Ingres(literally: this is his “horse”, his weakness, his favorite pastime). This expression owes its origin to the famous French artist Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867), who played the violin well. Since then, the French began to call any near-artistic hobby by his name.