The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of April 18, 2024

Shakespearean Equation: Hamlet

1948–49

Man Ray

(American, 1890–1976)

America, 20th century

oil on canvas

Framed: 55.9 x 66 x 3.9 cm (22 x 26 x 1 9/16 in.); Unframed: 40.5 x 51 cm (15 15/16 x 20 1/16 in.)

Bequest of Lockwood Thompson 1992.301

Location: 225 German Expressionism & Surrealism

Did You Know?

Man Ray's tombstone is inscribed, "Unconcerned but not indifferent."

Description

In 1934, Man Ray photographed a collection of three-dimensional mathematical objects at the Institute Henry Poincaré in Paris. These photographs became the basis for Ray's Shakespearean Equation painting series. Ray's paintings of the mathematical objects emphasize their form through dramatic contrasts of light and dark, while also imbuing the objects with human-like qualities. Here, Ray's painting from a tetrahedron model photograph is entitled Hamlet. The shape of the tetrahedron is suggestive of female anatomy, perhaps referencing Hamlet's fraught relationships with women.

(Galerie Rive Droit, Paris); Lockwood Thompson [by 1975].
Man Ray - Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare . The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC (organizer) (February 7-May 10, 2015); Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark (June 11-September 20, 2015); Israel Museum, 91710 Jerusalem, Israel (October 20, 2015-January 23, 2016).
The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC (2/7/2015 - 5/10/2015), Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen (6/11/2015 - 9/20/2015), and The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (10/20/2015 - 1/23/2016): "Man Ray - Human Equations: A Journey from Mathematics to Shakespeare"
Selected Acquisitions. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (February 9-April 11, 1993).
{{cite web|title=Shakespearean Equation: Hamlet|url=false|author=Man Ray|year=1948–49|access-date=18 April 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1992.301