Robert Rauschenberg

The 1960s are significant years in Robert Rauschenberg's artistic career. During this period Rauschenberg constantly experimented with various materials in his exploration of the boundaries of painting. As soon as one technique or form had been tested, Rauschenberg threw himself over the next.

Groundbreaking for Rauschenberg's artistic practice was the invention in the late 1950s of the method by which he transferred photographic material onto paper. By rubbing the reverse of an image with turpentine or lighter fluid, Rauchenberg succeeded in transferring photographs and other images onto paper. These 'Transfer Drawings' were then further elaborated with brushstrokes and colours in douche pastels. Revolutionary for Rauschenberg's practice was the development of the silkscreen technique. In new and intriguing ways this method provided him with the opportunity of reproducing images taken from various contexts and to re-circulate these from one work onto the next.

The focus of this exhibition is on this specific period of Rauschenberg's artistic career. The exhibition has been made possible due to loan of works from amongst other Rauschenberg's own collection. Uniquely exhibited are some of Rauschenberg's earliest "Silkscreen Paintings", among them Renascence and Payload, both from 1962. Exhibited is also Dry Cell from 1963, one of Rauschenberg's very early interactive works. In some of the silkscreen paintings objects are incorporated as with Rauschenberg's "Combine Paintings". In addition, exhibited are also a number of his transfer drawings, all executed in the 1960's.

In the 1960's, the rapid popularity of the TV media added to the general public the experience of living in an image bombardment, in a visual era, that was also underlined by the continuous flow of films, advertising, and images in other media. Rauschenberg juxtaposed images of war, new technological products, important politicians, and sporting events - with reproductions of works from art books, and photographs of anonymous everyday objects, taken by the artist himself. These images were playfully enlarged or reduced in size prior to their silk screening onto canvas. Subsequently, Rauschenberg would add paint to the canvases, often in an abstract and poetic manner, with thick brushstrokes and using a vibrant palette.

Rauschenberg is the first American post-war artist to appropriate photographic material for works of art. Earlier examples of this practice are to be found in works from Cubism, Dada, Surrealism and elsewhere. Yet, differing is Robert Rauschenberg's acknowledgement of the continuous flow of mass media images saturating our culture, and the power with which they influence our experiences and perceptions.

Particularly Rauschenberg's "Silkscreen Paintings" anticipate in content, context and eclecticism, contemporary art practices of appropriating images to create new artworks. Thus, Robert Rauschenberg's works emphasize, with great aesthetic beauty that our common image bank is a source of potential manipulation.

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Robert Rauschenberg
Works from the 1960s