Électricité 1931

Man Ray's 'Électricité' is this ghostly image of a lightbulb surrounded by what looks like stars. It’s a photograph, but it feels like a drawing, you know? Like a charcoal sketch of an idea. I can imagine Man Ray in the darkroom, pushing the chemicals around, coaxing this image into being. Maybe he was thinking about innovation, about how electricity was changing everything, or maybe he just liked the shape of the bulb! The splattered dots, like stray marks on a canvas, make me think of Pollock. What is this? Is it light? Is it dust? You know, this picture shows how artists borrow from each other, responding to the moment, but also to art history. It’s all connected.