A highly fetishistic portrait by the master Surrealist photographer Man Ray who in his work makes everything appear fetishistic. Portrait Through Wire first appeared in Le Surrealisme au service de la Revolution in July 1930. The wire enmeshes the body, hands (always important for Man Ray) and face is suggestive of an all over silk stocking and renders the model alluringly exotic and other. However the sadness in the eyes with their mute appeal makes us aware that the wire is also a physical barrier behind which she is trapped. Her inaccessibility paradoxically increases her erotic appeal.
Well explained. As I gaze, I vacillate between finding the image sexist and finding it about sexism. I suspect that is the intention.
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Thank you…the whole series is more or less about how the surrealists (mainly male) viewed desire…women are the object of desire and are venerated as such but that of course leads to objectification…and sometimes women can be the object of there vengeance as well…however Surrealism as a movement had more women participants than any other art movement so they can’t have been totally sexist…I have also put work by female artists in the series who were either bisexual or lesbian as a counterpoint namely 3,14,16, 18…obviously I find this endlessly fascinating though God knows i realise it isn’t that fascinating…thank you as always for your comments
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I’m enjoying the ride. 🙂
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I haven’t even really touched upon the renegade surrealists yet…their stuff is meant to shock and make you feel uneasy…it succeeds
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When is the second round of the face-off…i won’t mention mitchum and bogart
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I’ll tally tomorrow.
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I look forward to it…hopefully I will pick the winner
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Fascinating. Her expression haunts me. I think I’m definition seeing the mesh more as a physical barrier; but, like you said, that makes her more appealing.
Well done. 🙂
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Thank you as always…it is a intriguing photo…Man Ray work is fetishistic but it is also very sensual (to me at least)
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I agree. 🙂
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I’m glad…i was worried about Jane Austen but it is good that we agree on most things
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Definitely. 🙂
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Have a look at Dreams of Desire 18…the photos are gorgeous
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I find some of the photos to be erotic and at the same time very beautiful to look at.
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Thank you…the surrealists had a good eye for eroticism but they also aimed to provoke
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Gorgeous…but which mistress is this?
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i dont actually know…i always try to find out info on the model but I came up blank
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I didn’t think about a body-fitting silk stocking with the time, but more on the inaccessibility portion. She’s alluring and unattainable. And I agree that increases her appeal. What we can’t have, but pine after.
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I love Man Ray even though he raises troubling questions with his images.
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That’s a good reason to enjoy his work 🙂
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Very interesting! I notice that there appears to be no wire mesh pattern over her hair. Is it just my eyes staring at my phone? If not, is she really behind mesh, or was it superimposed on her skin? Just want make sure I am interpreting it properly 😊
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Or perhaps it just blends in really well. It’s a bit of an optical illusion! Messing with my head, ha. 😄
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That’s the whole point of Surrealism.
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Indeed.
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Head melting
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I believe she is standing behind a very fine wire screen…it is a bit of an optical illusion excellently executed…I hope you like it!
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Yes, I agree! It was one of those “wait a minute” realizations. And yes, love it.
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Thank you Em
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So as I zoomed in on this, it appears like mesh fabric that molds around her. This is pretty cool, mostly because I can’t decide whether my feminist antennae are twitching or its time for a drink.
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I really like Man Ray, he appears all other my site, he had a knack for the image, some of which are either fetishistic or misogynist. However he was one of the greatest photographers the world has seen.
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I can agree with that. I’ve appreciated what I’ve seen of Man Ray so far. The fetishism and misogyny I can overlook… Once in a while! 😉
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He is always thought provoking
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Have that drink
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🍷🍷join me!
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Thank you
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I absolutely love this image, she’s so desirable and completely unavailable. Thank you Mr. Cake, lovely post as always. ~ Miss Cranes
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Thank you as always Miss Cranes…Man Ray had a great eye when it came to increasing the erotic appeal of a subject
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You’re welcome Mr. Cake. He did indeed, a brilliant artist.
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I am half toying with a) a post about the photos to 1929 b) a post about the photos he took of Seabrooks lady companion… But I worry that I might receive the wrong kind of attention
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Why not do both? Are you concerned about Seabrook’s relationship with bondage?
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I have a soft spot for Seabrook. Both Man Ray and Michel Leiris spoke very highly of his qualities and his books on Haiti and Witchcraft are excellent if a little of their time. However the article by Leiris in Seabrook with accompanying photos in Documents is one of the most disturbing things I have read. That is a long way round way of saying yes.
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Seabrook was an interesting fellow to say the least. He did have some unusual tastes, and I joke lightly about that, he had a flair for cannibalism. He certainly embraced the struggle.
Your readers may not be so fond of that type of disturbing.
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He seems witty and urbane though he definitely had a dark side which he embraced. I knew about his cannibal exploits in Africa. If I find it disturbing then many more would find it disturbing as well
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I would agree with you, he had a very dark side, which was rather matter of fact to him, really no big deal.
It would make for a fascinating read, although I certainly understand your hesitation.
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Plus I don’t know if I could better Leiris’s interpretation, though as it was in Bataille’s Documents it is rather hard edged
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Many of your readers may not be familiar with Seabrook, which may be to your advantage. Again, I think it would make an interesting read, especially if Man Ray is brought into the mix.
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Man Ray mentions him in Self Portrait and he took photos of some of his girlfriends…he was an excellent writer, the lost writer of the lost generation. I knew you would be familiar with him, you a clever Miss Cranes
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Seabrook was no slouch and had some fine qualities, in fact in some areas of his life he was rather remarkable. I don’t know his predisposition, if it is a case of the chicken or the egg coming first. I think his experiences during WWI helped to shape the person that he became. Reminds me a bit of Brando’s character, Colonel Walter E. Kurtz form ” Apocalypse Now”.
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He did indeed… I haven’t read his book on his time in a mental aslyum that would be a interesting read. His book witchcraft is very good though quite sensational. He is worthy of more praise indeed
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So perhaps he is worthy of developing a post. Hmm…?
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Indeed
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I love Kurtz, he is right about will but it is a depressing truth
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Indeed, very sad. I think Seabrook’s life just got progressively bleaker until it became unmanageable, finding the only way out he could.
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I have considered for a long time a post about surrealist and suicide… So much too write and so little energy
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Mr. Cake, anything worthy of reading takes time to develop. It doesn’t have to be done in one sitting. The idea would make some excellent posts, “Surrealist and Suicide”. You could even do it as a series, like your “Dreams of Desire” series. Well, I hope you think about it, and consider it.
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I will, it’s a excellent idea
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Mr. Cake, I look forward to the first in the series!
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