Robert Rauschenberg passes at age 82

[RB TexLa]

Robert Milton Ernest Rauschenberg (b. October 22, 1925 in Port Arthur, Texas d. May 13, 2008) is an American artist who came to prominence in the 1950s transition from Abstract Expressionism to Pop Art.

Rauschenberg is perhaps most famous for his "Combines" of the 1950s, in which non-traditional materials and objects were employed in innovative combinations. While the Combines are both painting and sculpture, Rauschenberg has also worked with photography, printmaking, papermaking, and performance. Rauschenberg had a tendency to pick up the trash that interested him on the streets of New York City and bringing it back to his studio to use it in this works. He claimed he "wanted something other than what I could make myself and I wanted to use the surprise and the collectiveness and the generosity of finding surprises. And if it wasnt a surprise at first, by the time I got through with it, it was. So the object itself was changed by its context and therefore it became a new thing."

In 1953, Rauschenberg stunned the art world by erasing a drawing by de Kooning.

In 1964 Rauschenberg was the first American artist to win the Grand Prize at the Venice Biennale (Mark Tobey and James Whistler had previously won the Painting Prize). Since then he has enjoyed a rare degree of institutional support.

Robert Rauschenberg lived and worked in New York City and on Captiva Island, Florida until his death on May 13, 2008.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_Rauschenberg

[Mz Pip]

1. I just saw a film

on Rauschenberg last week in my art class. He was a facinating person and a creative genius.

And unlike so many artists of the time, he actually seemed to be enjoying himself.

RIP.

[nashville_brook]

2. he was one of my favorites

[NoodleyAppendage]

3. Great artist. Unfortunately, from that picture it looks like he had a left hemispheric stroke.

The facial weakness and strange hand on the right side of his body makes me suspect that he had a history of stroke...maybe bought the farm that way.

The greatest honor (in his mind, I bet) would be for someone to appropriate some of his remains for a piece of art.

J

[swag]

4. I loved a lot of his pieces and would spend much time with them

at the Hirschorn and National Gallery of Art when I lived in DC. I recall first seeing one of his works in a book when I was in Junior High, and found it very inspiring. I like that he and Jasper Johns worked together as department store window dressers under the pseudonym "Matson Jones."

His son Chris is a prominent artist/photographer in Portland. Quite a good fellow as well.

[T Monk]

5. his work will continue to teach and inspire