La Prière, 1930

One of Man Ray’s most masterful nude studies, La Prière creates a phantasmal, surrealist image using sophisticated photographic techniques along with layers of dualities and double-entendres. The title demonstrates his love of ambiguity both in imagery and in language as well as his fine appreciation for jargon and wordplay. A literal translation of the title is The Prayer, but it also means The Invitation. An old slang meaning is “to reveal where the money is hidden.” Lee Miller, the model for the image is posed in an undeniably erotic fashion, yet the placement of her hands suggests prayer and chastity. The disembodiment achieved through lighting and framing heighten the mysterious aura of the sacred and profane.
Man Ray freely made of use of various media, materials and presentations to express his artistic intent. The present photograph was taken in 1930, but is here presented as an artist's proof from an edition of seven on stretched linen made by the artist in the 1960s.