Anatomies by Man Ray, 1929

Anatomies by Man Ray, 1929

Here the surrealist artist Man Ray exploits visual perception, transgendering the female throat into the male phallus. The connection is clear and almost perverse, the fellatial reference almost too overstated. Nevertheless, Ray causes us to take a look our typical perceptions, and like any skilled humourist causes us to question our fundamental perversion; who on seeing this picture has not envisioned a mighty phallus? Only to realise it is in fact the eroticised feminine neck. However, the supplicant neck has developed into an agressive masculine organ, turning gender stereotypes and expectations on their heads. The protective neck has become invasive, and now towers like a castle keep above the flesh body. It's thickness makes it seem indestructible, and yet as the neck, it is wholly vulnerable, and here open to assault. By these repeated contrasts, Ray opens us up to question our own assumptions about ourselves.