The collection of 19th-century three-dimensional models of algebraic and differential equations at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris made a great impression on Surrealist artists.
When German artist Max Ernst (2 April 1891 – 1 April 1976) saw a series of 19th Century wood, metal, wire, and plaster forms at the Institut Henri Poincaré in Paris, he rushed to share them with Man Ray (born Emmanuel Radnitzky; August 27, 1890 – November 18, 1976), who was so impressed that he photographed them.
Over 31 photographs, taken between 1934 and 1936, Man Ray presents the curious objects are portrayed in black and white. He offers no context, only a blank background and has them tightly cropped within the frame.
As Sock Studio writes, 12 of these photos first appeared cross several issues of Les Cahiers d’art in 1936 (N°1-2, year 11th) to illustrate Greek art historian Christian Zervos’ article Mathématiques et art abstrait and another by André Breton on the status of the object (Crise de l’objet).
Many Ray explained his work in his autobiography, Self Portrait:
“The formulas accompanying them meant nothing to me, but the forms themselves were as varied and authentic as any in nature. The fact that they were man-made was of added importance to me and they could not be considered abstract as Breton feared when I first showed them to him – all abstract art appeared to me as fragments: enlargements of details in nature and art, whereas these objects were complete microcosms.”
The works were displayed at an exhibition of Surrealist art at the New Burlington Gallery in London in 1936 and at ‘Fantastic Art, Dada, and Surrealism,’ organized by Alfred Barr at the Museum of Modern Art in 1936–37. Interestingly, between 1935 and 1948, the artist created a small album in which he mounted the contact prints, showing cropping lines, writing titles from Shakespeare’s works, and reproducing mathematical notations and other indications of various natures.
The photos and the forms remained an important preoccupation for Man Ray throughout the years: in 1948, the photos were reinterpreted in the series of paintings titled The Shakespearean Equations, which the artist created after fleeing France during the Nazi occupation, taking the photographs with him.
Would you like to support Flashbak?
Please consider making a donation to our site. We don't want to rely on ads to bring you the best of visual culture. You can also support us by signing up to our Mailing List. And you can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For great art and culture delivered to your door, visit our shop.
