Robert Rauschenberg

Robert Rauschenberg (Milton Ernest Rauschenberg), born October 22^nd 1925, in Port Arthur Texas, was an American Assemblage artist, who studied and trained at Kansas City Art Institute, Académie Julian, Black Mountain College, and the Art Students League of New York. Josef Albers was Rauschenberg's painting instructor, at Black Mountain. Rauschenberg described Albers as influencing him to do "exactly the reverse" of what he was being taught, even though the courses he took relied on strict discipline that did not allow for any "uninfluenced experimentation".
 Some of Rauschenberg’s greatest achievements include being awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1993. He also received the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts in 1995 in recognition of his more than 40 years of fruitful art making. In 1951 Rauschenberg had his first one-man show at the Betty Parsons Gallery. Then in 1954 Rauschenberg had a second one-man show at the Charles Egan Gallery. Later, in 1955, at the Charles Egan Gallery, Rauschenberg showed ‘Bed’ (1955), one of his first and certainly most famous Combines.
 On May 12, 2008, Rauschenberg died at Captiva Island, Florida. After a personal decision to go off life support, he died of heart failure.

 

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/540643130237681374 /

 In this 2D Piece from Robert Rauschenberg, unknown title,(----) Unknown median, you see two very contrasting sections within one image. At the top of the piece there are various pictures of birds which, all seem to be looking in the same direction. There is also a picture of the statue of liberty pointing downwards on the page. The main colour theme towards the top of the piece is yellow and grey. All these elements together create a sense of calmness and a lighter tone when looking at the piece.
In contrast to the top of the piece, the bottom half is built up of various road signs, mainly a hexagon ‘STOP’ sign. The main colours that form the bottom half are primary colours blue and red which, are made to stand out from the black background. These colours completely contrast to colours in the top half. Unlike the calmness the images and colours at the top of the piece create, the bottom colours; along side the montage of road signs pointing all directions, creates a feeling of confusion and loss of direction with a dark and shady tone.
 The piece appears to be composed of various images, which would have been specifically chosen, by Rauschenberg from magazines, books and other resources. It also looks like he has used paints to fill in large arrears and create bold blocks of colour. The Majority of the piece is set to the right and all the business and vibrant colours draw me in to pick out each and every detail.
 I couldn't find the reasons why Rauschenberg created this piece or the intended meaning of it however, when I look at the image I see a piece that contrasts within itself. The contrast shows a peaceful and beautiful part of nature which, appears to be getting over took by the sharp shapes and colours of the man made signs, mainly the 'STOP' sign. Maybe the piece could be showing how man is destroying nature and that it should be stopped.
 When thinking about the work I am doing at the minute, this piece shows a meaning and a story which is what I would like my pieces to create and portray.

Memories, Traces, Old, Frayed, Faded

Ambrose McEvoy, 'Self-Portrait'.

 

Ambrose McEvoy used graphite and ink on paper to draw his self portrait back in 1900. Just by looking at the picture you can see that, McEvoy drew a basic outline of himself first and then added tone to the simple line drawing by using, various lines of different width, length and darkness.

Seeing McEvoy use this technique inspires me to try it out in my own work and see if i can create the same effect.

Frank Auerbach, 'Head of E.O.W.'.

 

This piece of art work is built up of, charcoal, paper and watercolour, all on a piece of paper. This piece was brought together and created by Frank Auerbach some time between, 1959-60. From research i have come to understand that, 'E.O.W.' are the initials of Estella West. West began posing regularly for Auerbach in the 1950s. This particular drawing took almost 70 sittings to finally be fnished. 

Auerbach had drawn, erased and reworked the image so many times, some of the paper became torn and made holes in the paper. This is why there are patches of paper and tares on various parts of the picture. Personally i think that's what makes the piece so unique. Along side the facial expression of the woman and the dark tones that the charcoal, all the tares and patches begin to create a meaning to the picture.

From researching and writing about this picture, i have fount that my artwork doesn't have to be perfect to be considered art and also if i make a mistake don't always start again or get rid of it, keep going and the mistakes will make my artwork more unique and show the journey of the piece.

Samuel Palmer, 'Moonlight, a Landscape with Sheep'.

 

http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/palmer-moonlight-a-landscape-with-sheep-n03700

Samuel Palmer used Ink, on card to create and produced this piece of art some time between, 1831- 1833. 

In this picture you see, two figures who seem to be having a conversation accompanied by a herd of sheep. 

The picture is quite dark and lacks in detail however, the focal point of this picture are the two men, which are highlighted by the moonlight along side the sheep. In the picture there are also a few trees which range from dark to light tones and in the background a hill filled landscape also lit up by the light from the moon.

When looking at this picture i start to feel tired and sleepy, i think this is because the picture is peaceful and the only light is coming from the moon. 

From this piece i have picked up that you don't need a lot of detail to create a eye catching piece of art but, creating highlighted areas from elements in the photo, like the moon, can really bring a picture to life.

Eric Ravilious, 'The Greenhouse: Cyclamen and Tomatoes'.

 

 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/ravilious-the-greenhouse-cyclamen-and-tomatoes-n05402

'The Greenhouse: Cyclamen and Tomatoes' was brought to life by, Eric Ravilious in 1935. Ravilious used watercolour and graphite on paper to create this beautifully, detailed piece of art. 

In this picture you see a greenhouse bursting with life and greenery. The piece is very square and proportional and has a deep perspective, also the plants and brick, that appear closet are in more greater detail compared to the objects that seem further away. 

When looking at this piece of art i get a sense of peace and tranquility and also feel as if i could just walk into the picture.

This specific piece of art shows that you don't have to use dark outlines or a lot of detail to create a great piece of artwork. This is something i could take from this piece and use in my own work.

Colin Self, 'Still Life with Art Deco Goldfish Bowl, Curtain and Shells'

 

 http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/self-still-life-with-art-deco-goldfish-bowl-curtain-and-shells-t06905

This Graphite drawing on paper, was brought to life by, Colin Self who produced this piece of art in 1969. The title of the drawing, 'Still Life with Art Deco Goldfish Bowl, Curtain and Shells', simply states what is in the picture and doesn't really have a meaning. 

When i look at this particular drawing i see a detailed gold fish bowl set behind a couple of finely drawn sea shells, all of which is set on front of a basically drawn certain. The goldfish bowl and shells are all drawn with great detail and have multiple tone. Both elements are built up of various drawing techniques such as, shading and line drawing.

The drawing doesn't really make me feel or create any specific emotions or feelings.

When it comes to my own art work i could use a wider variety of drawing techniques, to create more finer detail just like Self did in this Still life drawing.

Photgraphs Related to Project Themes