Shakespearean Equation: Hamlet

1948–49

Shakespearean Equation: Hamlet, 1948–49. Man Ray (American, 1890–1976). Oil on canvas; framed: 55.9 x 66 x 3.9 cm (22 x 26 x 1 9/16 in.); unframed: 40.5 x 51 cm (15 15/16 x 20 1/16 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Bequest of Lockwood Thompson 1992.301 © 2013 Man Ray Trust / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris In 1934, Man Ray photographed a collection of three-dimensional mathematical objects at the Institute Henry Poincaré in Paris. These photographs became the basis for Ray's Shakespearean Equation painting series. Ray's paintings of the mathematical objects emphasize their form through dramatic contrasts of light and dark, while also imbuing the objects with human-like qualities. Here, Ray's painting from a tetrahedron model photograph is entitled Hamlet. The shape of the tetrahedron is suggestive of female anatomy, perhaps referencing Hamlet's fraught relationships with women.