Man Ray

Reading these "essential facts about various people and subjects" has always seemed a bit like cheating to me. I suppose the format reminds me of "Cliff Notes" and most people substitute reading those for the actual full-length book. However, if this is the only exposure a reader is going to have to a particular artist such as Man Ray, real name Emmanuel Rudnitsky, then this is a very successful first exposure. Hopefully, the biographical information, photographs and other illustrations of Man Ray's paintings, found objects, sculptures, chess boards and figures, will make the reader want to dig deeper and learn more about this particularly fascinating artist. He was a Dadaist, a Surrealist, and the founder of Fetish photography among other things. He is most famous as a photographer, which is how he earned his money when he first moved to the "Camelot of Art" that was the Montparnasse section of Paris during the "Roaring Twenties." The author does a good job of showing samples of the most famous of Man Ray's works. She also introduces many of the people who surrounded him. She even refers to Man Ray's 1963 autobiography, "Self Portrait", which is one of the best sources of more information about him as long as one isn't too fussy about accurate dates and the fact that he hardly mentions one of the most important muses and mistresses in his life, Lee Miller. This book does a good job of attempting to explain some of the seemingly mysterious philosophies of Dada, Surrealism, Found Objects and other somewhat confusing facets of these particular movements. Perhaps a few of the book's conclusions are debatable, especially those regarding her conclusions on the "essential mystery" of Man Ray. Man Ray was a freedom-loving artist who lived puzzles, puns and contradictions. He was constantly moving back and forth between the visual arts to keep his creative energies fresh and in an exploration mode. He lived a truly fascinating life and documented much of it. Even his recollections of living in occupied Paris during World War II are note worthy. This is an excellent and well-done book but it will probably only wet the appetite of the reader who will no doubt want to return to the buffet table for more Man Ray insights?

Apparently pitched to a high-school audience, this miniature coffee-table book is still entertaining and very worthwhile.

i started this book and could not stop! it's easy to read, fun, full of relevant information. I feel I know Man Ray better than he did! And the three days I took to read the book feel like a trip in the 1920s.