Untitled (Rayograph)

Man Ray's rayograms have always represented an intensely personal and private sphere for the artist. His experiments into camera-less photography began upon his arrival to Paris in 1921. These works are full of autobiographical imagery and represent an early fascination with objects, certainly a bi-product of his early friendship with Marcel Duchamp. He culled from his experiences "objects of desire" with which to create an instantaneous image. His rayographs were the natural progression from the automatic writing espoused by André Breton. A current of chaos, the result of his resistance to a formal order, runs throughout his work. It disrupts the notion of a secure world, much like his fellow dadaists sought to accomplish. As he wandered through the labyrinth of Paris in the early 1920s, one can imagine the central element of the work offered here, the mask, bearing witness to a bevy of events at a costume ball or soirée. Perhaps it was worn at an affair organized by Tristan Tzara and belonged to Jean Coctau, Kiki de Montparnasse or Nancy Cunard. In Man Ray's hands, the photogram became a powerful means to reflect on his experiences in the world. This piece bears a similar resemblance to an earlier mixed media collage intended as a self-portrait created for an exhibition at the Daniel Gallery in 1916. Made of oil on canvas with bells for eyes and a doorbell for a mouth, the rayograph offered here bears a close similarity. In addition, Man Ray often used a candle and an object reminiscent of an egg in works from this period.