Artists of the 20th Century: Man Ray and Andy Warhol

As part of my artists of the 20th century series, I thought this week I would explore the works of two very important contributors to the creative industry. Although both artists are from different eras of the century and they both offered contrasting views towards visual arts, they are two whose names have never been forgotten due to their imagination and vivid creations and probably never will.

Man Ray

Known as one of the key contributors to the Surrealist and Dada Movement in the 20th century, Man Ray or originally, Emmanuel Radnitzky's work delved into all areas of the industry through fashion, film, photography, poetry and painting which were all influenced by the cultural surroundings of society during his existence. Although he classed himself truly as a painter, it was his photography which allowed him to become so memorable and awe inspiring to the creative world. For instance, Man Ray's most iconic photographs or 'Rayographs' as he nicknamed himself, were between the 'inter-war years' which were camera-less pictures that exposed the avante-garde nature of art and how it could be both representational and abstract at the same time. Therefore, Man Ray's photography arguably acted as a catalyst for communicating aspects of real life onto a canvas and  to extend the concept of surrealism. Adding on, Man Ray's 'Rayographs' consisted of objects such as thumbtacks, coils of wire and other circular forms which were placed directly onto a sheet of photosensitized paper and exposed to light to create a high visual contrast of black and white and experimentation with composition.

 
Man Ray's 'Rayographs'. Both created in 1922 out of gelatin silver print (photogram)

Besides his work in the inter war years, one piece of work by Man Ray which has become so recognised among popular culture is his Le Violon d'Ingres (The Violin of Ingres) photograph of Kiki de Montparnasse which was taken in 1924. Montaparnasse was one of Man Ray's most used muses for his work. The photograph, which was originally inspired by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres's La Grande Baigneuse, shows Montparnasse wearing a turban and sitting with her back facing the camera. However, this is not just any minimalistic nudist photo as Man Ray intended to communicate a vision of the distorted female body whilst mixing music with humanity. To play on the idea of objectifying the human body, Man Ray transformed the female body into a musical instrument by painting sound-holes on her back and to create a clear juxtaposition between natural and manmade elements.



Not only was this photograph so iconic for popular culture through many musicians having the 'f holes' tattooed onto their bodies to represent their passion for music, but it was also a great influence for the fashion industry. Viktor and Rolf were so inspired by the distortion of Kiki de Montparnasse as Ray's 'Violon d'Ingres' that they created their whole 2008 Spring Collection based upon the visual piece.




Andy Warhol

Now for an artist which I have briefly discussed throughout many of my posts but never actually in depth. Known as the man who transformed the Campbell soup can into a masterpiece of art and who brought Marilyn Monroe and Michael Jackson artistically to life through electrifying, vibrant colours, Andy Warhol's approach to the pop art world was without a doubt a true example of expressionism and mix media. As an artist who was especially credible for the art direction and styling of the visual sixties, Warhol communicated work that portrayed the collapse of polarisation between high and low culture and how society was becoming a lot more contemporary but in a whimsical, superficial way.

 

Richard Hamilton described pop art as "popular, transient, expendable, low cost, mass-produced, young, witty, sexy, gimmicky, glamorous, big business."

In terms of his photography, Warhol captured the messy, glamourous life of celebrities and courageously, the concept of 'fifteen minute fame' to reflect the boom of socialites in the sixties when everyone was trying to make a name for themselves by breaking away from their expectations and shaping their own remarkable, significant personalities for the world to see. Furthermore, his work also represented an element of commercial sensibility through his innovating approach to mass produced goods which were booming across the popular culture market. For example, Warhol used objects and foods such as Coca Cola cans, hamburgers and vacuum cleaners as muses for his work to create a major stir in the art world and develop 'Americanisation' in a visual way. These iconic images of in demand goods arguably brought Warhol into the national spotlight for the first time and made pop art a global cult that once people experienced, they would not see things in the same way again.

 

Along with Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe, Warhol also created pop art paintings of other iconic stars who were transforming celebrity culture of the mid 20th century. Warhol created images of Elvis Presley, Jackie Kennedy and Liza Minnelli in a fun, imaginative yet repetitive way to emphasise and celebrate their importance.

 

A post will be coming soon about the legendary Lee Miller so keep an eye out!