Man Ray: Prophet of the Avant Garde

Man Ray, whose real name was Emmanuel, was fascinating to me. He seemed to have a personality and artistic drive that was different from other artists who were more accepting. Man, however, was scoffed by others, especially when he was in New York. They didn't understand the concept of his artwork and found the functional objects he placed in galleries were not pieces of art. It was interesting to know that he would have rather been "accepted" not "understood." I was also surprised by the number of other well-known artists and photographers of his time such as Alfred Stieglitz, Max Ernst, Pablo Picasso, and Salvador Dali. I thought he seemed influential to have so much passion and drive within his work, even through all his life struggles. He thought "to create is divine," thus, introducing knew ideas were an essential part of his life. His innovative ideas- such as making art out of fashion photography, or creating "rayographs," lead to a new era of modern art.