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Survey of Art History

Decent Essays

Survey of Art History II

Man Ray like many other artists did not care to have his personal life shown in his art. He wanted to be viewed and recognized for his work which included sculptures, paintings, and photography. Man Ray was mostly influenced by Stieglitz's photographs. Man Ray used a similar style to Stieglitz. He captured images that created an unvarnished look at the photos' subject. Man Ray discovered a new way to create his photos; by accident in his work room he discovered how to manipulate objects in his photos on pieces of photosensitive paper. In the year 1914, at a seminal exhibition, Man Ray introduced himself to African art. Man Ray did this at the Alfred Stieglitz 291 Gallery. Man Ray’s photograph Noire et Blanche became an icon for modern photography. Although this was his most famous and widely known piece, Man Ray’s less known work made a greater impact and influence on African art. Photographs with African art pieces began to flourish greatly after Man Ray's break through with his Noire et Blanche photograph. These photographs shed light on many day to day issues such as: issues of race, identity, sex, separatism, and disenfranchisement. Noire et Blanche shows Kiki -Man Ray’s companion- with her eyes closed and her head sideways on a table in a very relaxed manner. With her left hand, Kiki is holding, an African mask known as a Baule Gba Gba mask. The mask is held straight above the table and right up next to her face. In this time, it was

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