Rauschenberg Again
Before Pop art officially emerged, Robert Rauschenberg had his own thing going, which he called Combines (basically half painting, half sculpture). He would put together a piece like “Monogram” — a goat wearing a tire on top of a collaged canvas — and did two things: 1. point out all materials are worthy of art; and 2. free the artist from the idea of having to record their own emotions.
Instead of putting them into context, here’s a list of some quotes:
“A pair of socks isn’t less suitable to make a painting with than oil on canvas.”
“I wanted the images to still have the feeling of the outside world rather than cultivate the incest of studio life.”
“A picture is more like the real world when it’s made out of the real world.”
“If art isn’t a surprise it’s nothing.” (in regards to how he would buy label-less house paint, not knowing the colors until he opened the lids to begin painting)
“It’s the sport of making something I haven’t seen before. If I know what I’m going to do, I don’t do it.”
Although I’m sure many people have seen tires on angora goats.
Click here for a summary of his piece, “Bed”, which he’s said is “one of the friendliest pictures I’ve ever painted. My fear has always been that someone would want to crawl into it.”
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