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Unit title: Introduction to

Fashion Styling

Assignment: Assignment 1

Tutor: Deborah Moores

Level: 2

Name: Kerry-Louise Barnaby

Student Number: 8001634

Date: Wednesday 12th

January

2011

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Contents:

Man Ray – A Key Twentieth Century Photographer Page 3

Figures

Figure 1.0 Page 11

Figure 2.0 Page 12

Figure 3.0 Page 13

Figure 4.0 Page 14

Figure 5.0 Page 15

Figure 6.0 Page 16

Figure 7.0 Page 17

Figure 8.0 Page 18

Figure 9.0 Page 19

Figure 10.0 Page 20

Bibliography

Books Page 21

Websites Page 22

Appendix – Separate Scrap-Book

Appendices 1 – Heritage Mood board:

o A Page 14

o B Page 15

Appendices 2 – Photo-shoot from another era

o A - Ballet/80s Page 35

o B – Evolution Page 51

Appendices 3 – Still Life

o A Page 66

o B Page 67

o C Page 69

o D Page 71

o E Page 73

Appendices 4 – Autumn/Winter 2011 Mood board Page 75

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Man Ray – A Key 20th

Century Photographer

“I do not photograph nature. I photograph my visions” (Man Ray, American Masters 2005,

page unknown)

Emanuel Rabinovitch was born on August 27th 1890, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United

States of America. Despite being born in Philadelphia, Man Ray spent most of his youth in

Brooklyn, New York and, most of his artistic career in Paris, where he died on November

18th 1976, aged eighty-six. Emanuel Rabinovitch began signing his name Man Ray in 1912,

though academics are still unaware of the reasoning behind this, now infamous, nickname.

“Is photography art?” a question that countless academics have tried, and failed to answer.

However, Robert Balcombe says:

“For photography to have its place in the world of Art, it must have within it that quality of

having been achieved by the hand of a competent Artist, along with the hand of a technically

competent photographer...only Artist-photographers can do work that can hold its place in

Art salons and Collections.” (Balcombe: 2001, page unknown)

Moreover, we can confidently discuss Ray’s brilliance as art. Man Ray is most well-known

for pioneering the avant-garde movement and his experimental photography: his most famous

and influential piece being “Le Violon d'Ingres”, 1924 (figure 1.0).

Man Ray was more than an esteemed fashion photographer; he was highly involved in the

Dada and Surrealist movements of the 20th

century, he was a painter, film-maker, poet,

essayist, philosopher, leader of American Modernism and consequently one of the most

influential artists of all time.

As a young adult, Ray shunned formal education in favour of an artistic and bohemian

lifestyle in New York. (American Masters: 2005, page unknown) He was mentored by the

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great Alfred Stieglitz, sometimes considered the best photographer of the twentieth century,

(Benatlas), who taught him the basics of photography. Shortly after, Ray decided to branch

out and experiment with new kinds of artistic photography:

“Man Ray spent much of his time fighting the formal constraints of the visual arts. Ray‟s life

and art were always provocative, engaging, and challenging.” (American Masters: 2005,

page unknown)

Le Violon d‟Ingres (figure 1.0) was created in 1924. It is arguably Ray’s most popular

image, as well as one of his earliest. Ray was notably influenced by the paintings and

“languorous nudes” of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (Man Ray Trust). Ingres was said to

be the, “last grand champion of the French classical tradition of history painting” (Turner:

2000, pg 254) and one can understand why Ray had such a fondness for the acclaimed artist:

they were both perfectionists. They would create multiple versions of an image to perfect it –

while Ingres did this with multiple draft paintings, Ray would edit images through

superimposing and layering. Ray was known to consider himself an artist not a photographer

and subsequently Ray’s artistic and creative flair is always apparent.

This image has been referred to as: “The photograph that foreshadowed the future” by Oleg

Moiseyenko. Scholars discuss Ray as a true pioneer and an influence for Photoshop, as

eventually this talented painter left the camera behind and began making his famous

“Rayograms” in 1922 which were created completely in his Dark Room, as well as his

solarisation images from 1929 onwards. (L’Ecotais: 1998)

“...Composite pictures made by darkroom masking, have been present throughout its

history...This freedom has produced some of the most dynamic work of the twentieth century,

which has addressed the question of what photography is and how we understand it...Man

Ray‟s cameraless technique of photogram‟s (or rayograms)...are all seen as giving license to

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artistic experiment with the object and, more crucially, with objectivity.” (Bright 2007, pg:

108)

Le Violon D‟Ingres has been chartered as one of the, “Thirteen photographs that changed the

world.” (Moiseyenko) It goes deeper than simply being an image of Ray’s favoured model

Kiki (or Alice Prin, his mistress at the time) sitting on a bed, nude, with her back to us. Ray’s

strong influence from Ingres motivated him to create the final image: Man Ray superimposed

f-holes from a violin on to the models back.

This image was from the Dada movement - a movement Man Ray is credited with pioneering

in the USA, and like most of the work from this time, is a visual pun. (Moiseyenko) Ray has

shown similarities between the body of Kiki and the violin and is an ode to Ingres. The

image is a reinterpretation of one of Ingres’ paintings, and the violin was his favourite

instrument!

While this image is often referred to as part of the Dada movement (which confusingly

enough was not a movement), the Dada period ended in 1923: this image was dated 1924,

placing it in the Surrealist movement.

The Dada (non)-movement began in Europe in 1916, during the height of World War 1. It

was a literary and artistic movement that centred in Zurich, Switzerland. Disgusted artists

banded together to protest, their one simple rule being, “Do not follow any rules!”

The name itself caused conflict, true to the style of Dadaism; some say it “means "hobby

horse" in French and others feel is just baby talk.” (About.com: date and page unknown)

Marchel Duchamp is the most renowned Dadaist, as well as one of Man Ray’s partners and

influences, who caused huge uproar when he famously painted a moustache on the Mona

Lisa! Although it is mostly associated with art, there was no single medium, it was simple;

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express yourself in any way you know how! Just as it reached its peak in 1922, it, true to

form, evaporated. Expressionism and abstraction were the main influences, and while it

filtered out, it encouraged future artistic movements.

The other movement that Le Violon d‟Ingres falls in to is Surrealism. The Surrealist

movement is described as:

“A literary and art movement, dedicated to expressing the imagination as revealed in

dreams, free of the conscious control of reason and convention...Like Dada, it was shaped by

emerging theories on our perception of reality, the most obvious influence being Freud's

model of the subconscious” (Art Movements: date and page unknown)

Surrealism was founded in Paris in 1924 (the year of Le Violon d‟Ingres) by a man named

Andre Breton. He published a manifesto dictating the principal aim of Surrealism: “Resolve

the previously contradictory conditions of dream and reality into an absolute reality, a super-

reality” (Art Movements, date and page unknown). The roots of this movement can be

traced back to the likes of Charles Baudelaire, a renowned French poet, essayist and

modernist. Ray was believed to be the one who pioneered this movement in America and

while it grew out of Dadaism, it was much more light-hearted. This movement was a form of

self-expression, focussing on philosophy and the subconscious; dreams and abstract being

central to the theme. This was a time to create what you felt, not what you saw. Ray himself

said:

“I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from

dreams, or from an unconscious drive.” (Man Ray – Brainy Quote: page unknown)

The second image is entitled “Noir et Blanche” (Figure 2.0). It was created in 1926, and is

the second of Ray’s most infamous creations. Followed by “Larmes Tears” 1932, (Figure

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3.0) a surrealist image of a woman crying perfect spherical tears: said to be powerful because

although it is surrealist, it is extremely close to reality. The other image worth noting is

“Coco Chanel” dated 1935 (Figure 4.0): one of the key pieces in avant-garde photography.

“Noir et Blanche” again uses Kiki as the model. It is a surrealist image and is still found

today in broad amounts of photography and fashion catalogues. According to The

Independent (1994), this photograph sold for a record breaking $354,500 (£239,527) at

Christie’s, New York – double the estimate: making it, one of the most influential images of

the twentieth century.

This image was first published on May 1st 1926 in French Vogue, “under the title Visage de

nacre et masque d'ebene (Pearl face and ebony mask)” (History of Art: date and page

unknown). It appeared in two other publications in Europe in the same year. Pierre Migenne

accompanied the image with text:

"The same sleep and the same dream, the same mysterious magic seem to unite across time

and space these two female masks with closed eyes: one of which was created at some point

in time by an African sculptor in black ebony, the other, no less perfect, made up yesterday in

Paris." (History of Art: date and page unknown)

“Noir et Blanche” was a series of approximately 20 images of the model and African mask,

and while this particular image gained immediate popularity, the series did not gain Artistic

appraisal until the 1980s when academic interest towards primitive art gained momentum

(The Eagle Feather).

This image shares similarities with Le Violon d‟Ingres. They are both puns and surrealist

pieces and are therefore images that Ray created to express his feelings not what he

physically saw. African antiques were very popular during the 1920s and it is therefore not

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surprising that Ray chose to use an African mask in his images. Kiki is resting her head and

mirroring the ebony mask - similarities in the shape of both masks is immediately evident. It

is important to note the contrast between the paleness of the face and darkness of the mask.

We also note the contrast between the strong, modern woman and the primitive mask. This

image could be sending messages of similarities between cultures, and the use of a primitive

mask could be a symbol of anti-consumerism. While this image can be enjoyed for the image

itself, it is possible Ray was trying to promote political awareness.

The styling, as in the majority of Ray’s images is simple and straightforward. Ray was a

careful artist. Of his subjects he would take only two-to-twelve images, believing the shoot

should be done quickly and efficiently. A common theme throughout his images is his use of

props, most images having either: a wooden hand, cello, banjo (Ray’s own instrument),

checkerboard fabric, gloves, fan, curtains or columns. Ray believed his subjects knew little

about photography and that they felt uncomfortable being photographed; the objects gave

their hands or body something to focus on, loosening the client up resulting in a natural,

finished product. There was typically one aim for Ray’s images:

“Naturalness! It‟s the height of artifice!...sometimes it takes years of study to know how to

recreate naturalness” (L’Ecotais: 1998, pg.69)

Ray asked his models to pose with their eyes closed and then open, “as though he wanted to

„reveal‟ them in that instant of unconsciousness.” (L’Ecotais: 1998, pg.68) Ray focussed on

lighting above all other technical aspects believing if the lighting was perfect, the image

would be too.

His images tend to be straightforward, though he often uses closure, especially when

focussing on facial features. He was not afraid to crop in closely on parts of the body to

create an abstract image. Ray seems familiar with the Rule of Thirds or the Golden Mean,

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particularly in his still life shots, such as the Terrain Vague series of 1932 (figure 5.0). His

technical understanding and ability give his pictures harmony which leads the eye beautifully.

Some believe Ray violated the laws of photography, which stated that a photograph should

remain pure. Ray was not shy about his retouching. He would use pencil to retouch on the

emulsion side of the plate, and indeed one of his portraits is completely retouched! In this

way we see the complexities of Ray’s work. The retouching method he used was said to be

similar to that of a nineteenth century photographer rather than a contemporary, yet; “he won

almost instant recognition as an avant-garde photographer.” (L’Ecotais: 1998, pg.74) and is

heralded as being a huge influence on the technological advances of today.

The majority of his images are black and white; in the early twentieth century colour

photography was not widely developed, but the stark contrasts in his images also create

timeless style and elegance. It seems to have been Ray’s intention to portray women as

elegant and glamorous. As his career developed he showed more emancipated women, such

as Coco Chanel (Figure 4.0). While he wanted to create his visions, they were ultimately

visions of the future and have continued through contemporary photographers today.

Ray’s use of Rayograms and superimposing, among other techniques hint towards the

technology of today: Photoshop. He didn’t simply create photographs; he manipulated

images, transforming them into artistic visions.

It is well-documented that Ray influenced Curtis Moffat through his “Rayograms” and Lee

Miller, who, after assisting him, went on to become one of the most iconic photographers of

the twentieth century. Contemporary art shows that he influenced many photographers such

as: Henri Cartier-Bresson (figure 6.0), Guy Bourdin (figure 7.0) – who went on to further

influence Christian Kettiger (figure 8.0), Max Dupain (figure 9.0) and Bill Brandt (figure

10.0) who emulated extreme graining for graphic affect, radical cropping and the same belief

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that in photography: “the end justifies any means that a photographer chooses to use.”

(V&A: date and page unknown)

Man Ray used his, “visions” to show the world the inner workings of his mind!

“One of the great artists and agitators of his time, Man Ray will be remembered not simply

for the fascinating and experimental works he left behind, but for the crucial role he played

in encouraging the revolutionary in art.” (American Masters: 2005, page unknown)

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Figures:

Figure 1.0

Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ens-surrealistart-en/image09.htm

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Figure 2.0

Noire et Blanche 1926

http://english.chass.ncsu.edu/jouvert/v3i3/boray.htm

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Figure 3.0

“Larmes Tears” 1932

https://eyemakeart.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/larmes-tears-by-man-ray-1932/

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Figure 4.0

Coco Chanel 1935

http://benatlas.com/2010/01/the-greatest-photographers-of-the-twentieth-century/

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Figure 5.0

Terrain Vague 1932

http://www.scalarchives.com/web/ricerca_risultati.asp?nRisPag=48&SC_Artista=Man+

Ray+%281890-1976%29&prmset=on&SC_PROV=RA&SC_Lang=eng&Sort=9

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Figure 6.0 - Henri Cartier-Bresson

Italy 1933

http://www.nouvellesimages.com/Italie--1933_Henri-CARTIER-

BRESSON_art~PH2474_id~cartespostales_mode~zoom

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Figure 7.0 - Guy Bourdin

For French Vogue: May 1977

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/22/1079823293404.html

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Figure 8.0 - Christian Kettiger

Title Unknown

http://www.egodesign.ca/en/article.php?article_id=255

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Figure 9.0 - Max Dupain

Nude In Grass 1939

http://archive.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/archived/2004/max_dupain

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Figure 10.0 – Bill Brandt

Nude 1954

http://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/artist,show,1,24,35,117,0,0,0,0,bill_brandt_nude,

_london_.html

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Bibliography

Books:

Bramly, S., 1998. Man Ray: A Portrait of the Artist as Fashion Photographer. In:

l’Ecotais, E., A, Sayag., 1998. Man Ray Photography and its Double. London:

Laurence King Publishing

Bright, S., 2007. Art Photography Now. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Condon, P., 2000. Ingres, Jean-Auguste-Dominique. In: Turner, J., 2000. From

David to Ingres Early 19th – century French Artists. London: Macmillan Reference

Limited.

Frizot, Michel., 1998. How I Became Man Ray: The Piecework Photographer. In:

l’Ecotais, E., A, Sayag., 1998. Man Ray Photography and its Double. London:

Laurence King Publishing

Foresta, M., Thames & Hudson., 2009. Man Ray. London: Thames & Hudson Ltd

Gernsheim, H., 1991. Creative Photography: aesthetic trends, 1839-1960. Dover

Edition. London: Faber & Faber

Hopkins, D., 2006. Dada‟s Boys. Edinburgh: The Fruitmarket Gallery.

L’Ecotais, E., A, Sayag., 1998. Man Ray Photography and its Double. London:

Laurence King Publishing.

Vergo, P., 1993. The origins of Expressionism and the notion of Gesamtkunstwerk. In:

Behr, S., D, Fanning., D, Jarman., 1993 Expressionism Reassessed. Manchester:

Manchester University Press

Willet, J., 1993. Expressionism: bonfire and jellyfish. In: Behr, S., D, Fanning., D,

Jarman., 1993. Expressionism Reassessed. Manchester: Manchester University Press.

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Websites:

About.com. Dada – Art History 101 Basics [online].Available.

http://arthistory.about.com/cs/arthistory10one/a/dada.htm [accessed 4 January

2011]

American Masters, 2005. Man Ray Prophet of the Avant-Garde

[online].Available: http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/man-

ray/prophet-of-the-avant-garde/510/ [accessed 30 December 2010]

Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2004. Max Dupain: Dupain‟s work in the

context of Man Ray‟s influence. [online].Available:

http://archive.artgallery.nsw.gov.au/exhibitions/archived/2004/max_dupain

[accessed 10 January 2011]

Art Gallery of Ontario, 2000. A Practical Dreamer [online].Available:

http://www.ago.net/a-practical-dreamer [accessed 4 January 2011]

Art Movements. Surrealism [online].Available:

http://www.artmovements.co.uk/surrealism.htm [accessed 4 January 2011]

Balcombe, R., Is Photography Art? [online].Available:

http://www.thescreamonline.com/essays/essays06-01/rsb_photo_essay.html

[accessed 30 December 2010]

BBC. 2007. Genius of Photography – Man Ray [online].Available:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/photography/genius/gallery/ray.shtml [accessed 4

January 2011]

Benatlas, 2010. The Greatest Photographers of the Twentieth Century

[online].Available: http://benatlas.com/2010/01/the-greatest-photographers-of-

the-twentieth-century/ [accessed 4 January 2011]

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Bookrags. Man Ray Biography [online].Available:

http://www.bookrags.com/Man_Ray [accessed 30 December 2010]

Boray. Kiki (“Noir et Blanche” Man Ray 1926) [online].Available:

http://english.chass.ncsu.edu/jouvert/v3i3/boray.htm [accessed 4 January

2011]

Brainy Quote. Man Ray Quotes [online].Available:

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/man_ray.html [accessed 4

January 2011]

Brittanica Encyclopedia. Violon d‟Ingres [online].Available:

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/629723/Violon-dIngres

[accessed 4 January 2011]

Direct Essays. On Man Ray‟s Le Violon d‟Ingres [online].Available:

http://www.directessays.com/viewpaper/8271.html [accessed 4 January 2011]

Ego Design, 2008. Christian Kettiger: Guy Bourdin‟s Disciple

[online].Available: http://www.egodesign.ca/en/article.php?article_id=255

[accessed 10 January 2011]

Fairfax Digital. Guy Bourdin [online].Available:

http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2004/03/22/1079823293404.html [accessed

10 January 2011]

History of Art. History of Photographs [online].Available: http://www.all-

art.org/history658_photography13-16.html [accessed 4 January 2011]

History of Painters. Man Ray 1890-1976 [online].Available:

http://www.historyofpainters.com/ray.htm [accessed 30 December 2010]

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Man Ray Trust. Le Violon d‟Ingres [online].Available:

http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=61240 [accessed

4 January 2011]

Man Ray Trust, 2007. Man Ray, Le Violon d'Ingres, 1924 [online].Available:

http://www.centrepompidou.fr/education/ressources/ens-surrealistart-

en/image09.htm [accessed 30 December 2010]

Michael Hoppen Gallery. Bill Brandt [online].Available:

http://www.michaelhoppengallery.com/artist,show,1,24,35,117,0,0,0,0,bill_br

andt_nude,_london_.html [accessed 10 January 2011]

Nouvelles Images. Art, Humour and Greetings Postcards: Italy 1933 by Henri

Cartier-Bretton [online].Available: http://www.nouvellesimages.com/Italie--

1933_Henri-CARTIER-

BRESSON_art~PH2474_id~cartespostales_mode~zoom [accessed 10 January

2010]

Oleg Moiseyenko, 2000-2010. Le Violon d‟Ingres Man Ray 1924 [online].

Available: http://www.pbase.com/image/118045036 [accessed 4 January

2011]

Scala Archives. Search Results Man Ray [online].Available:

http://www.scalarchives.com/web/ricerca_risultati.asp?nRisPag=48&SC_Artis

ta=Man+Ray+%281890-

1976%29&prmset=on&SC_PROV=RA&SC_Lang=eng&Sort=9 [accessed 10

January 2011]

The Blurb. Fascinator [online].Available:

http://www.theblurb.com.au/Issue41/ManRay.htm [accessed 4 January 2011]

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The Eagle Feather (University of North Texas), 2011. Man Ray‟s “Noir et

Blanche” Surrealism, Fashion and Other(s) [online].Available:

http://web3.unt.edu/honors/eaglefeather/2009/man-ray%E2%80%99s-noire-et-

blanche-surrealism-fashion-and-others/ [accessed 4 January 2011]

The Eye Sight. “Larmes Tears” by Man Ray 1932 [online].Available:

https://eyemakeart.wordpress.com/2009/07/08/larmes-tears-by-man-ray-1932/

[accessed 4 January 2011]

The Independent, 1994. Noir et Blanch 1926 by Man Ray [online].Available:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/noir-et-blanche-1926-by-man-ray-

1371595.html [accessed 4 January 2011]

V&A, Bill Brandt [online].Available:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/photography/features/photo_focus/brandt/re

lated/index.html [accessed 10 January 2011]