This Thursday (9th October) sees the start of a new season of art lectures at Medina Theatre.
Organised by the Vectis Decorative & Fine Arts Society, the first lecture, to be given by son of British Surrealist artist Roland Penrose, Antony Penrose, is titled “Man Ray and the Magic Man”.
Antony says,
“When my father the British Surrealist artist Roland Penrose and biographer of Man Ray made his collage titled Homage to Man Ray (1976), he included the pencilled wording HOM MAGE, a pun in French which can be translated as Magic Man.
“Roland knew that in his photography Man Ray magically transformed light into wonderful Surrealist images, and in his objects every day things became visual puns, sometimes sinister, sometimes funny, but always provocative.
“Man Ray was much adored by both my parents and from an early age by me too. He encouraged me to make my own objects and my own puns. I knew he and my mother Lee Miller had been lovers in their youth and their love endured as a deep friendship. Together in Paris in the heyday of Surrealism they discovered the technique of solarisation which became the hallmark of their artistic association.
“Their collaboration produced some of the most striking images in Man Ray’s whole oeuvre and it was Man Ray who in turn helped Lee Miller to become a Surrealist photographer in her own right.
“Years later when I saw them together, I noticed there was always a special smile on my mother’s face when Man Ray was around, but it took me much of my life to discover the history that lay between her, Man Ray and my father. This is the story behind Lee Miller’s special smile.”
Where and when
Doors open at 7.15pm. Tea, coffee and bar are available before the lectures which begin at 8.00pm. We ask you to be seated by 7.55pm. They finish at approximately 9.15-9-30pm Guests are welcome at a cost of £7 and £2 for students.
Image: home_of_chaos under CC BY 2.0
