Animation Explores the Birth of Man Ray's Rayographs
An animation details the invention of rayographs by Man Ray, who was 25 when he met Marcel Duchamp in New York. Their friendship pushed Ray to experiment beyond painting, particularly in photography, where he broke conventions by eliminating the camera. In his autobiography, Ray describes the process: turning on the light and watching a deformed, refracted image form on photosensitive paper, with parts in contact with the glass appearing in relief against a black background. The animation is featured on Artribune, which also offers a WhatsApp channel and daily newsletter. The article is by Valentina Tanni, an art historian and curator focusing on art and technology, teaching at Politecnico di Milano and NABA.
Key facts
- Man Ray was 25 when he met Marcel Duchamp in New York.
- Duchamp's friendship encouraged Ray to experiment beyond painting.
- Ray invented rayographs, a camera-less photographic technique.
- Ray described the rayograph process in his autobiography.
- The animation illustrates the creation of rayographs.
- Artribune published the article and offers a WhatsApp channel.
- Valentina Tanni wrote the article; she teaches at Politecnico di Milano and NABA.
- Tanni's research focuses on art and technology.
Entities
Artists
- Man Ray
- Marcel Duchamp
- Valentina Tanni
Institutions
- Artribune
- Politecnico di Milano
- NABA – Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti
Locations
- New York
- United States