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Section 3 – Rock Paper Scissors: Materiality, Process, Society

 

Materiality and process reside at the foundation and execution of every work of art. From the beginning of his career, Rauschenberg demonstrated an acute sensitivity to the value and dignity of materials. Creating stark monochrome paintings, erased drawings, sculptures comprised of elemental units with participatory potential, and grass and dirt paintings, all between 1951 and 1953, Rauschenberg’s work anticipated minimal, conceptual, and process art.

The artists presented here share with Rauschenberg an interest in harnessing rudimentary materials to explore social, political, and cultural modes of visual discourse.

 

I put my trust in the materials that confront me because they put me in touch with the unknown. – Robert Rauschenberg

 

San Pantalone (Venetians)

Robert Rauschenberg, San Pantalone (Venetian), 1973. Barnacle-encrusted tar paper, wood, metal, rope, and coconut; 70 x 92 x 8 inches (177.8 x 233.7 x 20.3 cm). Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York, New York. © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Licensed by VAGA, New York, New York.

 

Lady Borden

Robert Rauschenberg, Olympic / Lady Borden (Cardboard), 1971. Cardboard, 78 x 47 x 12 inches (198.1 x 119.4 x 30.5 cm). Robert Rauschenberg Foundation, New York, New York. © Robert Rauschenberg Foundation / Licensed by VAGA, New York, New York.

Our Witheld Silences

Lia Perjovschi, Our Withheld Silences, 1989. Strips of paper, textile, printed text, and mixed media; 27 inches diameter (68.6 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Anonymous gift, 2007.12.3. © Lia Perjovschi. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.

 

 

Wheel Collage

Bruce Conner, WHEEL COLLAGE, 1958. Assemblage on Masonite (terrycloth fabric, iron wheel, rhinestone studs, paint rag, torn paper, newspaper classifieds), 21 7/8 x 24 x 3 3/4 inches (55.6 x 61 x 9.5 cm). Collection of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina. Anonymous gift, 2012.7.1. © Conner Family Trust, San Francisco, California / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York, New York. Photo by Peter Paul Geoffrion.

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