Le Souffle

Man Ray, Le Souffle, 1931, photogravure, sheet: 10 1⁄4 x 8 in. (26.0 x 20.3 cm.), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1976.84.10

Artwork Details

Title
Le Souffle
Artist
Publisher
Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d'Electricite
Date
1931
Location
Not on view
Dimensions
sheet: 10 1⁄4 x 8 in. (26.0 x 20.3 cm.)
Credit Line
Museum purchase
Mediums Description
photogravure
Classifications
Subjects
  • Still life — furniture — stand
  • Still life — other — appliance
  • Object — furniture — fan
Object Number
1976.84.10
Linked Open Data
https://edan.si.edu/saam/id/object/1976.84.10

Artwork Description

In 1931 electricity was considered a luxury in France; most households were still powered by less expensive gas. When electric companies expanded their service to the middle class, an emerging appliance industry enticed housewives with electric-powered devices. Amid these developments, Paris-based power company, la Compagnie Parisienne de Distribution d’Electricité (CPDE) commissioned Man Ray to illustrate the myriad uses of electricity in the home. The portfolio of ten photographs was distributed in an edition of five-hundred to CPDE’s shareholders and top clients.
Le Souffle, French for “breeze,” renders the swift, blurred motion of an electric fan in action. This Rayograph, also called a photogram, was created without the use of a camera. Instead, Man Ray placed the fan, blades spinning, inside a darkroom in front of photosensitive paper, and then exposed the paper to light. To add another level of movement to the composition, he physically altered the position of the fan at the moment of exposure. Through his experiments with photographic processes and chance operations, Man Ray demonstrated the dynamic power of light and electricity.


A Democracy of Images: Photographs from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, 2013

Works by this artist (132 items)

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Man Ray, Fisherman's Idol, cast 1973, bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.7
Fisherman’s Idol
Artist
Datecast 1973
bronze
On view
Man Ray, Its Another Spring, 1961, mixed media: metal spring, ivory ball, and wooden cigar box, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.6
Its Another Spring
Artist
Date1961
mixed media: metal spring, ivory ball, and wooden cigar box
On view
Man Ray, Le Voyeur, 1965, wooden cigar box with inserted door lens, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.4
Le Voyeur
Artist
Date1965
wooden cigar box with inserted door lens
On view
Man Ray, Square Dumb Bells, 1944 or 1945, cast bronze, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of Juliet Man Ray, 1983.105.17A-B
Square Dumb Bells
Artist
Date1944 or 1945
cast bronze
On view

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Man Ray, Lingerie, 1931, photogravure, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase, 1976.84.6
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Date1905
photogravure on tissue
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