Ray, Man (1890-1976), was an American painter, sculptor, photographer, and filmmaker. Early in his career, Ray painted in a fairly realistic style. In 1913, he began to experiment with the cubist and expressionist styles that were modern at the time. By 1916, Ray was affiliated with an experimental art movement called dadaism, which encourages the use of unconventional materials and chance occurrences. Ray incorporated found objects, called ready-mades, into his dada sculptures and paintings.
Although Ray worked in many mediums simultaneously, he concentrated on filmmaking in the 1920’s. Most of his films reflect the style of the surrealism movement, in which the imagery is inspired by dreams and the subconscious. In the early 1920’s, he developed a cameraless technique called rayograph, in which objects are placed on photographic paper and exposed to light. Ray continued to work extensively in photography during the 1930’s, combining portraiture, nude studies, and abstraction.
Ray was born on Aug., 27, 1890, in Philadelphia. His real name was Emmanuel Radnitzky. He died on Nov. 19, 1976.
