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Article: Cosmic Ray: an open letter to the founder of the New York Correspondence School. (letter to the late artist Ray Johnson)
- Article from:
- Art in America
- Article date:
- October 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Brant Publications, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Dear Ray,
A bright moon, a bridge over an inlet, two teenage girls down by the water, and an unexpected splash: the enigmatic sound incites the girls to rush up onto the bridge, where they catch a nicely illuminated glimpse of you backstroking away from them, not calling out for help. O.K., but it would have been a better story if they had jumped into the water to rescue you. Then your bizarre performance might have turned into an intriguing variation on one of your favorite Jean Renoir films, Boudu Saved from Drowning (1932). Boudu, a scruffy tramp, jumped off the Pont des Arts in Paris with every intention of drowning himself, only to be rescued and taken home by a ...