Mans ray

Man Ray (Man Ray, August 27, 1890, Philadelphia, USA - November 18, 1976, Paris, France) - An American photographer and artist who lived most of his life in France. Man Ray was born under the name Emmanuel Radnitsky in a family of Russian-Jewish immigrants. The family changed their last name for fear of anti-Semitic attacks. Most of Ray's childhood passed in New York. While still at school, he began to study drawing and sketching, and then studied painting at the Ferrera School. Ray was particularly interested in contemporary avant-garde art. Soon he met with the famous Alfred Stiglitz, who instilled in him a passion for photography, and with Marcel Duchamp, who attracted him to the ranks of the Dadaists. In 1921, Ray moved to Paris, settled on Montparnasse and met with such prominent figures as James Joyce, Gertrude Stein and Jean Cocteau. He continues to engage in photography for the most part, experimenting with techniques, and develops his own style, which he calls "Rayograph." In the 20s, he shoots many avant-garde short films with Marcel Duchamp and Fernand Leger. In 1940, the war forced him to leave France: he moved to Los Angeles, exhibited his paintings and photographs, was successful in Hollywood, but returned to Paris as soon as possible. Here the artist will live until the end of his days, continuing to engage in painting and photography.

Features of Man Ray: despite the fact that he painted very talented and very successful paintings, the central place in his work was still taken by photography. Man Ray invented the revolutionary technique, which he called the "Rayograph," by accident. This is the process of taking pictures without using the camera using light-sensitive paper. In this technique, Ray worked for the rest of his life.

Famous works of Man Ray: "Violin engras","Glass tears","Rayograph","Present".

Author: Evgenia Sidelnikova