Afternoon after Man Ray
1936
Medium
Gouache on paper mounted on board
Dimensions
19 3/16 × 24 1/8 in. (48.7 × 61.3 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Modern and Contemporary Art
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of New York City W.P.A., 1943
Accession Number
43.47.24
Tags
Art Historical Context
Oronzo Gasparo's *Afternoon after Man Ray (1936) is a vibrant gouache on paper mounted on board, 19 3/16 × 24 1/8 inches. Created during the Great Depression, this work reflects the artist's engagement with modernist influences, as suggested by its title—a nod to the Dada and Surrealist photographer Man Ray, experimental imagery captivated the New York art scene. Gasparo, an Italian-American known for his bold figurative style, employs gouache's opaque, matte finish to achieve rich color blocks and precise forms, evoking a dreamlike urban tableau centered on buildings and doors. The piece ent...