Rayograph
Man Ray (Emmanuel Radnitzky)
American, 1890–1976
1922
A gelatin-silver photogram in which Man Ray placed ordinary objects directly on light-sensitive paper so their shadows and traces of light register as abstract, luminous shapes.
You first notice stark white silhouettes—ribbon-like loops, a chair-like skeleton and a long glowing rod—floating on deep black, their edges flickering between crisp cutouts and soft, ghostly blurs as if in motion.
Made amid Dada and Surrealist experiments, this Rayograph helped free photography from the camera by using light and objects alone to create abstract, dreamlike images that expanded the possibilities of modern art.
Medium
Gelatin silver print (photogram)
Dimensions
9 3/8 × 7 1/16" (23.8 × 17.9 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Gift of James Thrall Soby
Accession
625.1941
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
