Man Ray knocks me out. Known for his revolutionary photography, he was the first to grasp the idea of stretching the boundaries of art using the photograph. His famous, morbidly erotic compositions based on the female form earned him a name & lasting fame.
He also was inspired, at least early in his career, by ideas of social change. Most people remember his photos. Less famous are the covers he drew for Emma Goldman's Mother Earth, the famous Anarchist publication. Now Anarchism is the most radical of egalitarian philosophies. It not only accepts the idea of equality, it presupposes the capacity of individuals to embrace it without compulsion, on their own remonstrance. It expects that no one is better able to rule over us as we ourselves can.
With such revolutionary elan, one would expect Ray to be feminist, particularly in connection with his association with Goldman. He wasn't, however. He was misogynistic. How does one reconcile such disparity of person? Thoughts?
2007-07-22
20:29:57
·
7 answers
·
asked by
Jack B, sinistral
5