简介：ManRay,themasterofexperimentalandfashionphotographywasalsoapainter,afilmmaker,apoet,anessayist,aphilosopher,andaleaderofAmericanmodernism.KnownfordocumentingtheculturalelitelivinginFrance,ManRayspentmuchofhistimefightingtheformalconstraintsofthevisualarts.Ray’slifeandartwerealwaysprovocative,engaging,andchallenging. BornEmanuelRabinovitchin1890,ManRayspentmostofhisyounglifeinWilliamsburg,Brooklyn.TheeldestchildofanimmigrantJewishtailor,hewasamediocrestudentwhoshunnedcollegeforthebohemianartisticlifeinnearbyManhattan.InNewYorkhebegantoworkasanartist,meetingmanyofthemostimportantfiguresofthetime.Helearnedtherudimentsofphotographyfromtheartdealerandphotographer,AlfredStieglitz,andbegantoexperimentonhisown. In1914,ManRaymarriedtheBelgianpoet,AdonLacroix,andsoonaftermettheexperimentalartistMarcelDuchamp.DuchampwastobeoneofManRay’sgreatestinfluencesaswellasaclosefriendandcollaborator.TogetherthetwoattemptedtobringsomeoftheverveoftheEuropeanexperimentalartmovementstoAmerica.Themostenergeticofthesemovementswas“dada.”Dadawasanattempttocreateworksoabsurditconfusedtheviewer’ssenseofreality.Thedadaistswouldtakeeverydayobjectsandpresentthemasiftheywerefinishedworksofart.ForManRay,dada’sexperimentationwasnomatchforthewildandchaoticstreetsofNewYork,andhewrote“DadacannotliveinNewYork.AllNewYorkisdada,andwillnottoleratearival.” Havingbrokenwithhiswife,ManRayleftNewYorkforParisin1921—markingacontinuousstreamoftempestuousandoftendoomedromances.ThroughDuchamp,ManRaymetsomeofthemostexcitingartistsandthinkersinParis.Thoughhedidn’tspeakawordofFrenchatfirst,hewaswelcomedintothisgroupandbecameitsunofficialphotographer.AmongthemanymodelsfromthisperiodwerePabloPicasso,ErnestHemingway,SalvadorDali,GertudeStein,JamesJoyce,andthefamousperformer,KikiofMontparnasse.ForsixyearsKikiwasRay’sconstantmodel,muse,andlover. AmongthemostfamousofhisphotographsofthetimearethemanyofKiki.ManRay’sphotographsofKikioftenusetheoutlineofherbodytorepresentotherobjects.ThisinterestinminimalismandabstractioncarriedovertoManRay’sexperimentswithwhathetermed“rayographs.”A“rayograph”wasmadebyplacingathree-dimensionalobjectorseriesofobjectsontopofapieceofphotographicpaperandexposingittolight.Theseimageslyricallyandimpressionisticallyrepresentedobjectssuchasropes,lightbulbs,andthumbtacks.ManyartistsrespondedpositivelytoManRay’sdaringcombinationofminimalism,chance,andabsurdity,andin1922hepublishedhisfirstbookofthementitledTheDelightfulFields. Throughoutthe1930sManRaycontinuedtopaint,sculpt,andmakeportraitsalongwiththesurrealists,whosefreewheelingdispositionsweresimilartohisown.ThoughdeeplyimmersedintheartisticlifeofFrance,WorldWarIIforcedManRaytoleaveParis,andhemovedtoHollywood.InHollywood,manyexpatriateartists,musicians,andwriterstookupresidence.Hespenttenyearsthereworkingasafashionphotographer.Withhisbraveuseoflightingandminimalistrepresentation,ManRayproducedfashionphotographsunlikeanythathadcomebefore—andforeverchangedthatdiscipline. ManRaylonged,however,tobebackinParis,thecitythathadnurturedhiscreativelife.So,afterthewar,marriedtoayoungdancernamedJulietBrown,hemovedback.Hespentthenexttwenty-fiveyearsthere,creatingpaintings,sculptures,films,andphotographs.HediedonNovember18,1976attheageofeighty-six.Onethegreatartistsandagitatorsofhistime,ManRaywillberememberednotsimplyforthefascinatingandexperimentalworksheleftbehind,butforthecrucialroleheplayedinencouragingtherevolutionaryinart.…