Man Ray-Isms

A collection of provocative quotations from the innovative and influential modern artist Man Ray

The painter, photographer, sculptor, and filmmaker Man Ray (1890-1976) was one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century and was responsible for some of its most important innovations. With a career spanning Cubism, Dadaism, and Surrealism, he pioneered the use of light painting, photograms (which he called "Rayograms"), and solarization. Man Ray-isms presents a collection of his quotations drawn from interviews, writings, letters, and other sources. Poetic, enigmatic, and provocative, Man Ray-isms offers rare insight into the mind of one of the most original and visionary modern artists.

• "It has never been my object to record my dreams, just the determination to realize them."
• "A creator needs only one enthusiast to justify him."
• "I paint what cannot be photographed, that which comes from the imagination or from dreams, or from an unconscious drive."
• "I photograph the things that I do not wish to paint, the things which already have an existence."
• "One of the satisfactions of a genius is his will-power and obstinacy."
• "I have been accused of being a joker. But the most successful art to me involves humor."