Robert Rauschenberg was a pivotal artist during the 1950s. His artistic methods led the way in transitioning from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art. Rauschenberg passed away this week at his home in Florida.
Rauschenberg is probably most famous for his combines, the combinations of non-traditional materials and objects to create art. The most notorious example of this is Monogram, a work of art primarily consisting of a stuffed angora goat with a tire around its middle.
Many art historians believe that every artist working today has been influenced in some way by Robert Rauschenberg. He was ingenious when it came to his artwork. I remember studying Rauschenberg’s Erased de Kooning and being fascinated by his idea that he was creating art by taking one away. That piece is exactly what it sounds like, by the way.
The Nelson-Atkins is lucky enough to have a Rauschenberg in its Modern & Contemporary Art collection. Tracer is one of his silkscreen paintings from the mid-1960s. I’ve always liked how his work seems incredibly abstract from a distance, but find with closer inspection that the images do relate. I have no doubt that artists for generations to come will continue to be inspired and influenced by Rauschenberg’s incredible body of work.