Rayograph (The Kiss)

This is one of Man Ray's earliest Rayograms, a process by which objects are laid directly on to a photo-sensitive paper and then exposed to light. To create this particular picture, he transferred the silhouette of a pair of hands to the photographic paper then repeated the procedure with a pair of heads (his and his then lover's, Kiki de Montparnasse). Rayograms gave Man Ray an opportunity to be in his work and react to his creations right away by adding layer upon layer. He used inanimate objects as well as his own body to create his earlier pictures. The pictures sometimes have an autobiographical element with many of his photographs portraying his lovers.