Photo By Gail
Man Ray (Born Emmanuel Radnitzky, 1890 – 1976) became dissatisfied with his initial composition for this work, The Rope Dancer Accompanies Herself With Shadows (1916), which was inspired by a tightrope performance he had seen in a vaudeville show. He had originally arranged pieces of colored paper cut into the shapes of the tightrope dancer’s acrobatic forms. Glancing down at the floor, he noticed that the discarded scraps of paper from which the shapes had been cut formed an abstract pattern resulting from chance. Comparing the accidental pattern with shadows that a dancer might have cast on the floor, he incorporated it into his composition.
Photographed in the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
Photo By Gail
Artist May Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky, August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976) was a significant contributor to the Dada and Surrealist movements, although his ties to each were informal. He produced major works in a variety of media but considered himself a painter above all. He was best known for his photography, and he was a renowned fashion and portrait photographer. Ray is also noted for his work with photograms, which he called Rayographs, in reference to himself.
In 1935, Man Ray photographed his studio reflected in a silvery orb, and called it Laboratory of the Future. This striking photograph (a Gelatin Silver print) is part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art in NYC.
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