Man Ray
Man Ray
Man Raywas an American visual artist who spent most of his career in France. He 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. Man Ray is also noted for his work with photograms, which he called "rayographs" in reference...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionPainter
Date of Birth27 August 1890
CityPhiladelphia, PA
CountryUnited States of America
I would photograph an idea rather than an object, a dream rather than an idea.
When I saw I was under attack from all sides, I knew I was on the right track.
Oh, yes, I was a great retoucher. A retoucher is an esthetic surgeon !
The streets are full of admirable craftsmen, but so few practical dreamers.
My works were designed to amuse, annoy, bewilder, mystify and inspire reflection.
If I'd had the nerve, I'd have become a thief or a gangster, but since I didn't, I became a photographer.
It has never been my object to record my dreams, just the determination to realize them.
I paint what cannot be photographed, something from the imagination... I photograph the things I don't want to paint, things that are already in existence.
I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive.
Just as I work with paints, brushes, and canvas, I work with the light, pieces of glass and chemistry.
Speaking of nudes, I have always had a great fondness for this subject, both in my paintings and in my photos, and I must admit, not for purely artistic reasons.
One of the satisfactions of a genius is his will-power and obstinacy.
The tricks of today are the truths of tomorrow.
An effort impelled by desire must also have an automatic or subconscious energy to aid its realization.