The monochromatic palette is reminiscent of Analytic Cubism, as is
Duchamp’s faceted presentation of the human form. The artist’s in-
terest in depicting the figure in motion reveals an affinity for the Fu-
turists’ ideas. One critic described this work as “an explosion in a
shingle factory,”^20 and newspaper cartoonists had a field day lam-
pooning the painting.MAN RAY One American artist to incorporate the latest Euro-
pean trends in his work was Emmanuel Radnitzky, known as Man
Ray(1890–1976), who was a close associate of Duchamp in the
1920s. Man Ray produced art with a decidedly Dada spirit, often in-
corporating found objects in his paintings, sculptures, movies, and
photographs. Trained as an architectural draftsman and engineer,
Man Ray earned his living as a graphic designer and portrait pho-
tographer. He brought to his personal work an interest in mass-
produced objects and technology, as well as a dedication to explor-
ing the psychological realm of human perception of the exterior
world. Like Schwitters, Man Ray used chance and the dislocation of
ordinary things from their everyday settings to surprise his viewers
into new awareness. His displacement of found objects was particu-
larly effective in works such as Cadeau (Gift;FIG. 35-33). For this
sculpture, Man Ray—with characteristic Dada humor—equipped a
laundry iron with a row of wicked-looking spikes, subverting its
proper function of smoothing and pressing.MARSDEN HARTLEY Other American artists developed
personal styles that intersected with movements such as Cubism.
Marsden Hartley(1877–1943) traveled to Europe in 1912, visit-
ing Paris, where he became acquainted with the work of the Cubists,
and Munich, where he gravitated to the Blaue Reiter circle. Kandin-
sky’s work particularly impressed Hartley, and he developed a style
he called “Cosmic Cubism.” He took these influences with him when
he landed in Berlin in 1913. With the heightened militarism in Ger-
many and the eventual outbreak of World War I, Hartley immersed
himself in military imagery. Among his most famous paintings of
this period is Portrait of a German Officer (FIG. 35-34). It depicts an
array of military-related images: German imperial flags, regimental
insignia, badges, and emblems such as the Iron Cross. Although this
image resonates in the general context of wartime militarism, ele-
ments in the painting did have personal significance for Hartley. In
particular, the painting includes references to his lover, Lieutenant
Karl von Freyberg, who lost his life in battle a few months before
Hartley painted this work. Von Freyberg’s initials appear in the lower35-33Man Ray,Cadeau (Gift), ca. 1958 (replica of 1921 original).
Painted flatiron with row of 13 tacks with heads glued to the bottom,
681 – 3 – 85 41 – 2 . Museum of Modern Art, New York (James Thrall Soby
Fund).
With characteristic Dada humor, the American artist Man Ray equipped
a laundry iron with a row of wicked-looking spikes, subverting its proper
function of smoothing and pressing.35-34Marsden Hartley,Portrait of a German Officer,1914. Oil on
canvas, 5 81 – 4 3 53 – 8 . Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (Alfred
Stieglitz Collection).
In this elegy to a lover killed in battle, Hartley arranged military-related
images against a somber black background. The flattened, planar pre-
sentation reveals the influence of Synthetic Cubism.America, 1900 to 1930 9351 in. 1 ft.
35-34ADOVE,
Nature
Symbolized
No. 2,ca. 1911.