Man Ray: Photography and Its Double

Rating:
Summary: A Pleasing Book
Review: I bought this book expecting an immense variety of photos true to Man Ray's hodgepodge style. What I got was a series of very nice photos that were not quite what I expected. The length of this volume belies it's lack of variation. Most of the book is female nudes, which are very well done, but if you are looking for a book which includes photos of Parisian street life in the 1920's or the campy world of drag queens and surrealists, this is not the book for you. There are some photos of dancers and the like but most of the photos are pretty straightforward nudes who are in arty positions that get dull after a while. This not the book for newcomers to Man Ray nor is it one for those who would like to see truly weird looking pictures. There are some really cool photos here, like Meret Oppenheim in the Erotique Voile series and the rayographs featured. But a substantial portion of the book is devoted to showing works in their original form and how they were cropped and tinkered with to produce final, polished images. This is neat for famous images such as Les Larmes (Tears), but otherwise can get boring. Overall, this is an excellent book for Man Ray experts as it does show many previously unreleased photos, but maybe not the right choice for the rest of us. I enjoyed it though, and I'm still glad I bought it.

Rating:
Summary: Man Ray is the solarization king.
Review: This book is an extroidinary collection of Man Ray's photographic work. His use of light, composition, and solarization is one of the best.This book allows the reader to understand Man Ray's direction and motivation.

Rating:
Summary: Man Ray is the solarization king.
Review: This book is an extroidinary collection of Man Ray's photographic work. His use of light, composition, and solarization is one of the best.This book allows the reader to understand Man Ray's direction and motivation.