Iris

Photographer: Man Ray, American (active France), 1890–1976
Date: 1926
Material: Solarized gelatin silver print
Classification: Photographs
Collection: Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Current Location: Not on view
Dimensions: image: 9 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. (24.8 x 20 cm)
sheet: 9 3/4 x 7 7/8 in. (24.8 x 20 cm)
Credit Line: Museum Purchase
Rights: Public Domain
Object Number: 126:1977

NOTES

Man Ray mastered a darkroom technique known as solarization used in this image of an iris flower. Through a selective re-exposure of a print during development, a chemical phenomenon causes a reversal of tones, particularly in areas where there is a sharp contrast of light and dark. Man Ray solarized the contours of this flower, and as a result, the brilliant whites of the petals seem to well up from a pool of darkness, radiating an otherworldly glow.

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