About this artwork
This is an early work by Man Ray in which he experiments not only with Cubist forms and shading but with the use of letters and numbers in painting. He turns his signature and the date, traditional marks of historical authenticity, into a cliff face and sky - a gesture at once playful and subversive. As Man Ray once derisively remarked: ‘In a picture, is it not above all the signature that counts?' The work can be considered Man Ray's first Dada picture.
Updated before 2020
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artist:
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title:Man Ray 1914
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date created:1914
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materials:Oil on sketchblock
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measurements:17.30 x 12.30 cm
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object type:
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credit line:Long Loan, The Penrose Collection, 1992
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accession number:GML 621
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gallery:
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artwork photographed by:Antonia Reeve
Man Ray
Man Ray
Man Ray was born Emmanuel Radinski, in Philadelphia. In 1915 he met Marcel Duchamp and became involved with the New York Dada group. Man Ray moved to Paris in 1921, where he continued his dada activities and worked as part of the surrealist group. He was able to earn a living as a fashion and...