Le Violon d'Ingres (Ingres's Violin)
Item
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Title
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Le Violon d'Ingres (Ingres's Violin)
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Type
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Photograph
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Description
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Man Ray was an admirer of the paintings of Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres and made a series of photographs, inspired by Ingres's languorous nudes, of the model Kiki in a turban. Painting the f-holes of a stringed instrument onto the photographic print and then rephotographing the print, Man Ray altered what was originally a classical nude. He also added the title Le Violon d'Ingres, a French idiom that means "hobby." The transformation of Kiki's body into a musical instrument with the crude addition of a few brushstrokes makes this a humorous image, but her armless form is also disturbing to contemplate. The title seems to suggest that, while playing the violin was Ingres's hobby, toying with Kiki was a pastime of Man Ray. The picture maintains a tension between objectification and appreciation of the female form.
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has dimension
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29.6 × 22.7 cm (11 5/8 × 8 15/16 in.)
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Date
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1924
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Rights
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© Man Ray Trust ARS-ADAGP
