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Art of the Other: 'Robert Rauschenberg: Combines' at The Metropolitan Museum of Art" By Carrie Wong Perhaps the apex of American artist Robert Rauschenberg’s artwork is a multimedia, multidimensional piece titled “Canyon, 1959”. On his canvas are various materials, including the more traditional oil, pencil and paper, as well as less conventional items such as fabric, metal, cardboard box, wood, and a few printed reproductions and photographs. As the list then goes on, the items become more adventurous and unconventional. Aside from the materials already described, lodged on to the canvas are a paint tube, a pillow dangling from the artwork via a piece of string, and a bald eagle. Yes, a bald eagle, with wings outstretched, head cocked to its left, seemingly ready to take flight off of Rauschenberg’s “Canyon” in 1959. But the year is 2006. Much has changed since 1959, most importantly that the bald eagle is no longer branded an endangered species. Yet this particular bird has been immortalized, along with the rest of Rauschenberg’s image. Heralded as a major component in the artist’s seminal and most recognizable work, the bald eagle has nowhere to fly off to except into the gallery space at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Canyon The monumental influence of Robert Rauschenberg’s groundbreaking ‘combines’ is not readily apparent. And yet it is. This is because the influence of his style has so permeated the art world that the shock of seeing one of his pieces has lessened considerably over the years. Having sandblasted traditional notions of art when he erupted into the scene back in the 50’s, his work has a far-reaching, lasting impact that changed the idea of what could be used to produce art. In addition to paint and canvas, Rauschenberg has employed everything, short of the kitchen sink, to be a component of his artwork. In his combines, Rauschensberg has given laud to newspapers, printed reproductions, quilts, mirrors, even a taxidermied bald eagle, and other just normal everyday objects, as viable materials for art. His favor and fervor for such found objects pushed the envelope for what was acceptable to be used to create art. The Met’s current exhibition surveys 67 of his works throughout the years, especially the period spanning 1954 to 1964. Rauschenberg, who has been painting, sculpturing, and combining for decades, still works today. Ranging from more two dimensional pieces on canvas to free standing works composed of paint, and found materials, the Met’s survey of Rauschenberg’s combines demonstrates not only the artist’s prolific work and influence on the historical course of art, but also the broadness of the style and themes displayed through out his career. Works he made between 1953 and 1955 have a decidedly colorful palette, mostly consisting of reds. “Minutiae, 1954” and the aptly named “Red Interior, 1954-55” are vibrant, kaleidoscopic creations emphasizing both space and the challenges of attributing singular meaning to art. “Minutiae, 1954”, for instance, has three colorfully designed and painted panels. Aside from the physical factoids of the work, its meaning seems open to interpretation, and is probably as varied and multi-layered as it has dimensions.
Minutiae 1955 on finds Rauschenberg using more subdued color schemes in his pieces. The reds and oranges, which once dominated his palette, has been replaced the use of less paint. Compared to works like “Minutiae, 1954”, “Interior, 1956” is a breath of fresh air, and soothing break from the former over-stimulating and busy canvas. On the top left corner is an iron-cast wall design embedded onto a tile-like material. Over at the top right corner is a hat painted haphazardly. All these elements combine to resemble an interior space. Rauschenberg’s pieces also present a blend and pastiche of low and high culture, as well as personal histories and sentimentality. “Bed, 1955”, for instance, is arranged in such a way as to resemble a bed and to conjure up nostalgia associated with the furniture. Mounted vertically on wood, it displays a pillow and a quilt drawn over with pencil and painted with a myriad of colors, including from what could be detected, red, yellow, orange, white, and various shades of blue. The result is a “Bed” that is at once comforting and strange. “Bed”, as with all other artworks in the Met’s temporary collection, demonstrates Rauschenberg’s very peculiar and innovative vision. His sees cultures, epochs, materials, and images melding together, and forming a very cohesive if not new world that does not always conform to the traditions of art and linear thought. You can say he is ahead of his time. “Robert Rauschenberg: Combines” will be on view at the Metropolitan Museum of art until April 2, 2006. For more information, go to www.metmuseum.org. |
