Robert Rauschenberg (Printmaking)

Robert Rauschenberg, or more precisely, Milton Ernest Rauschenberg was born 1925 (Oct. 22nd).  Most of his life was centered around his art, for which he received great critical acclaim up until his death in 2008.  Rauschenberg worked in a great deal of mediums, exploring paint, sculpture, and for the purposes of this report, printmaking.



From 1965 this print entitled Lawn shows a collection of photographic imagery combined with a lithograph print.  It shows multiple images that all allude to an American theme, the flag in the bottom left, an (American) Footballer to the right and (what I think) is supposed to be a faded skyline in the background.  It feels very 'New York', which is where Rauschenberg grew up.  That in itself makes me think 'Lawn' is derived from his own front lawn.  With images like these, I find it very hard to home in on the artist's intent.  Though I find the composition curious, it feels more loose and experimental than methodical.

1984's Bazaar shows similar themes, the colour making the American theme seem much more prevalent.  All the images used in the piece were taken at a Bazaar in New York, images depicting fruit stalls, dress shops, and just the local street in general.  This image combines Lithograph with etching to achieve this result.


Rauschenberg's art was considered a prelude to Amercian Pop art, often using black and white imagery with a vibrant colour contrast.  I like the way he uses colour in his work, though honestly, I don't really understand his compositions.  I find his work curious, and I would like to know more about his intent and the reasons behind his work.  Despite this curiosity though, I don't feel particularly inspired by his work, nor do I really wish to recreate it.  His use of colour is what appeals to me the most, and I don't think that should be the main takeaway from his work.